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PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  HISTORY 


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NAPOLEON    THE    THIRD. 


EMPEROR    OF    THE    FRENCH; 


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WITH 


iognpljual  °§%\\m 


OF    HIS 


MOST  DISTINGUISHED  MINISTERS,  GENERALS,  RELATIVES, 

AND  FAVORITES, 


AND 


A     NARRATIVE 


OP 


THE  EVENTS  OF  THE  WAR  IN  ITALY. 

BY 

SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER,  LL.  D., 

AUTHOR  OF  "  COURT  AND  REIGN  OF  CATHERINE  II.,"  "  HISTORY  OF  NICHOLAS 
"LIF1   OP  ALEXANDER   HAMILTON,"   "  MEMORABLE   SCENE8 
IN  FRENCH  HISTORY,"  ETC. 


-<•»- 


PHILADELPHIA: 

a.   a.   evans 

439  CHESTNUT  STREET. 
1860. 


Entered,  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1859,  by 
SAMUEL   M.  SMUCKER, 

tft  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Eastern  District 

of  Pennsylvania. 


8I«RE0TrPED  BT  J.  FAQ  AS- 


PREFACE. 


Every  age  produces  its  master-spirits ;  and  it  is 
absurd  at  this  late  day  to  deny  that  Louis  Napoleon 
occupies  that  position  in  reference  to  the  present  cen- 
tury. It  is  equally  evident  that  he  has  already  fulfilled 
his  mission ;  or  that  he  has  at  least  achieved  the 
greater  part  of  the  brilliant  or  the  tragical  destiny 
which  may  have  been  allotted  him.  He  has  revived 
the  defunct  empire  of  the  great  Corsican ;  he  has  in- 
herited his  colossal  power ;  and  he  now  sits  upon  that 
perilous  throne  which  was  formerly  purchased  by  the 
blood  and  tears  of  a  continent.  There  is  henceforth 
little  more  of  consequence  which  Louis  Napoleon  can 
accomplish.  He  may  indeed  live  in  the  enjoyment 
of  his  imperial  state  for  some  time  to  come;  but 
beside  this,  the  brief  record  of  his  future  history  will 
very  probably  comprise  but  one  thing  more :  that  he 
will  either  be  dethroned,  or  be  assassinated,  or  will 
die  in  his  bed  with  all  his  blushing  honors  thick 
upon  him. 

In  preparing  the  following  work  for  the  press  the 
author  has  exhausted  all  the  reliable  materials  which 
were  accessible.  These  include  everything  that  is 
valuable,  which  the  literatures  of  France  and  England 
contain  in  reference  to  the  subject.     Several  biogra- 

(ix) 


X  PREFACE. 

pines  of  the  Emperor  of  the  French  have  already 
appeared  in  this  country ;  yet  none  of  them  are  com- 
plete even  as  far  as  they  go  ;  none  bring  the  narrative 
of  events  down  to  the  present  time ;  all  of  them  speak 
of  the  subject  of  their  narratives  with  the  exagge- 
rated ardor  and  unfair  coloring  of  partisans  ;  and  they 
have  been  indiscriminate  either  in  their  censure  or 
their  praise.  The  present  writer  has  endeavored  to 
avoid  these  errors ;  he  is  not  conscious  of  yielding  to 
the  least  degree  of  prejudice  in  either  direction ;  and 
he  has  aimed  at  elaborating  such  a  history  of  the 
public  and  private  career  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  all  its 
stages,  as  will  describe  it  precisely  as  it  occurred. 
The  reader  himself  will  judge  how  far  the  author  has 
been  successful  in  achieving  a  correct  historical  por- 
trait of  the  most  extraordinary  man,  beyond  all  com- 
parison, who  has  flourished  during  the  middle  epoch 
of  the  nineteenth  century. 

The  biography  of  Napoleon  III.  does  not  occupy 
the  whole  of  the  present  volume.  It  had  been  easy 
by  the  use  of  larger  type  to  have  filled  all  the  allotted 
space  with  that  portion  of  the  work  alone ;  but  the 
writer  has  endeavored  to  render  it  more  valuable  by 
the  addition  of  other  interesting  and  useful  matter 
which  illustrates  the  history  of  the  French  Emperor. 
These  articles  form  Part  Second  of  the  work. 

SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER. 
Philadelpiii  \,  July,  1858. 


Contents 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAS  I 

Splendor  of  the  Napoleonic  Dynasty — Relative  Importance  of 
Louis  Napoleon  in  that  Dynasty — His  Birth — His  supposed 
Illegitimacy — His  Infancy  —  Interest  felt  by  Napoleon  I.  in 
his  fate — The  Fall  of  the  Emperor — Heroism  of  Hortense — 
Her  Departure  from  Paris  with  her  Sons — Her  Residence  at 
Malmaison — Death  of  Josephine — Boyhood  of  Louis  Napo- 
leon— His  early  Education — Napoleon's  return  from  Elba — 
Waterloo  —  Capitulation  of  Paris  —  Flight  of  Hortense  and 
her  Sons  —  Her  Residence  at  Aix  —  Her  Husband  demands 
their  eldest  Son  —  Her  Residence  at  Constance  —  "  Partant 
vour  la  Syrie"  —  College  Studies  of  Louis  Napoleon  —  Hor- 
tense purchases  the  Estate  of  Arenemberg — Her  occasional 
Residence  at  Rome  —  Progress  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  Mili- 
tary Studies  —  The  Revolution  of  July,  1830 21 


CHAPTER  II. 

Outbreak  of  the  Revolution  in  Italy  —  Secret  Conclave  of  the 
Bonapartes  in  Rome  —  Louis  Napoleon  commanded  to  with- 
draw from  the  Papal  Capital — He  joins  the  Revolutionists — 
Death  of  his  elder  Brother  at  Faenza — His  own  Sickness  — 
His  Arrival  at  Paris  with  his  Mother  —  Their  reception  by 
Louis  Philippe  —  Compelled  to  retire  to  England  —  Their 
removal  to  Arenemberg  in  Switzerland  —  The  Polish  Revo- 

(*i) 


Xll  CONTENTS 

lution — Death  of  the  Duke  of  Reiehstadt —  Louis  Napoleon 
complimented  by  the  Polish  Refugees  —  His  private  studies 
at  Arenemberg — Publishes  his  Reveries  Politiques  —  Nature 
and  Contents  of  this  Work  —  He  publishes  his  "  Considera- 
tions Politiques  et  Militaires  sur  la  Suisse"  —  Character  of 
this  Work  —  Compliments  of  the  Helvetic  Diet  —  Louis  Na- 
poleon invited  to  marry  the  Queen  of  Portugal — His  reasons 
for  refusing  to  do  so 39 

CHAPTER  III. 

Pursuits  and  studies  of  Louis  Napoleon  at  Arenemberg  —  His 
Manual  of  Artillery — Character  of  that  work — He  begins  to 
plot — The  Escapade  of  Strasburg — State  of  public  feeling  in 
France  at  that  period  —  Unpopularity  of  Louis  Philippe  — 
Preparations  for  the  plot  at  Arenemberg  —  The  Hunting 
Party  —  The  Prince  arrives  at  Baden-Baden  —  He  meets 
Madame  Gordon  —  Her  Beauty  and  Talents — Her  former 
History — She  becomes  a  Devotee  to  the  Prince — His  arrival 
at  Strasburg  —  Meeting  of  the  Conspirators  —  Suspicions 
aroused  and  allayed — Six  o'clock  arrives — Colonel  Vaudrey 
— Submission  of  the  Fourth  Regiment — General  Voirol — 
The  Prince's  Identity  denied  —  Total  and  rapid  Failure  of 
the  Conspiracy — Arrest  of  the  Conspirators — Examination 
and  Responses  of  Louis  Napoleon 53 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Presence  of  mind  and  Intrepidity  of  Madame  Gordon  —  Her 
Trial  and  Acquittal — Her  subsequent  Fate — The  Gratitude 
of  Louis  Napoleon — His  removal  to  Paris — Intercessions  of 
Queen  Hortense  in  his  behalf — The  Prince  Banished — His 
voyage  to  Rio  Janeiro —  His  arrival  at  New  York — His  con- 
duct in  the  United  States — Letter  from  Hortense — His  Re- 
turn to  Switzerland  —  Death  of  Hortense  —  Brochure  of  M. 
Persigny — Republished  by  M.  Laity — Letter  of  Louis  Napo- 
leon to  Laity — Louis  Philippe  demands  his  Expulsion  from 
Switzerland — The  Cantons  Refuse  —  War  threatened  — 
Voluntary  withdrawal  of  the  Prince  —  He  goes  to  England 


CONTENTS.  xiU 

—Publishes  his  "  Idees  Napoleoniennes" — Gore  House — The 
Countess  of  Blessington  —  Lord  Eglinton  —  The  Prince's 
habits  of  Dissipation  in  London — His  connection  with  Mrs. 
Howard — Her  History  and  Career 65 


CHAPTER  V. 

Louis  Napoleon  in  England  —  The  Insurrection  of  Barbes — 
False  Opinions  as  to  the  State  of  Feelings  in  France — The 
Affair  of  Boulogne — Want  of  Organization  and  Preparation 
in  France — Louis  Napoleon  and  his  Friends  embark  on  the 
"  City  of  Edinburgh" — Their  arrival  on  the  Coast  of  France 
— They  Disembark — Proclamation  to  the  Soldiers — Attempt 
to  corrupt  the  Garrison  of  Boulogne — Partial  Success — Subse- 
quent Failure — Arrest  of  Louis  Napoleon  and  his  Associates 
— Colonel  Puygillier — Trial  of  the  Conspirators — Evidence 
against  them — Eloquence  of  Counsel — Berryer — Ferdinand 
Barrot  —  Conviction  of  the  Prisoners  —  Their  Sentence  — 
Louis  Napoleon  condemned  to  Imprisonment  for  Life — The 
Fortress  of  Ham  —  Prevalent  Opinions  in  reference  to  the 
Affair  of  Boulogne — Its  peculiar  Error — Its  advantageous 
Results  on  the  subsequent  Fate  of  Louis  Napoleon 80 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Origin  and  History  of  the  Fortress  of  Ham — Its  situation  and 
appearance — Louis  Napoleon  conveyed  thither — His  Rigor- 
ous treatment — His  Protest  to  the  French  Government — 
Removal  of  Napoleon's  Remains  from  St.  Helena — Louis 
Napoleon  writes  and  publishes  his  "  Historical  Fragments" 
— His  "Considerations  sur  la  Question  des  Sucres"  —  His 
"  Extinction  of  Pauperism" — His  "  Canal  Napoleon  de  Nica- 
ragua"—  The  Prince  desires  to  visit  his  Dying  Father — 
The  Request  Refused — He  determines  to  Escape  from  Ham 
—  The  Astuteness  and  Ability  of  the  Plan  adopted  —  The 
Prince's  Costume  —  He  leaves  his  Prison  and  evades  the 
Scrutiny  of  the  Guards — Adroitness  of  Thelin — The  Prince 
reaches  Valenciennes,  Brussels,  Ostend.  England — The  skil- 
ful proceedings  of  Dr.  Coaneau  —  The  Astonishment  and 
2 


Xiv  CONTENTS. 

Terror  of  the  Commandant — The  Prince  refused  Passporjp 

to  Florence  by  the  Tuscan  Minister 92 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Interview  of  the  Prince  with  Count  d'Orsay — Lady  Douglass — 
Death  of  the  ex-King  of  Holland— The  "Melanges  Politiques" 
— History  of  the  Downfall  of  Louis  Philippe — State  of  Poli- 
tics in  France — The  Monster  Banquets — Popular  Tumults — 
M.  Molle  —  The  new  Ministry  of  Thiers  —  Delusion  of  the 
King  —  His  Flight  from  Paris  —  Establishment  of  the  Pro- 
visional Government — Letters  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  the 
Provisional  Government  —  His  Return  to  London  —  He  is 
elected  a  Representative  by  Four  Departments — His  Letters 
to  the  Electors  and  to  the  Assembly— He  sends  in  his  Resig- 
nation as  Representative  to  the  Assembly — Popular  Tumults 
— Cavaignac  appointed  Dictator — Louis  Napoleon  re-elected 
Representative  by  Five  Departments  —  His  appearance  in 
the  Assembly — His  Speech — Decree  of  Banishment  against 
the  Bonapartes  annulled 108 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  new  Constitution  —  Candidates  for  the  Presidency  — 
Cavaignac  —  Ledru  Rollin  —  The  Immortal  "Name"  —  Ac- 
tivity of  the  Partisans  of  Louis  Napoleon  —  Manifestoes  of 
the  Candidates  —  Results  of  the  Election  —  Inauguration  of 
President  Louis  Napoleon — Difficulties  of  his  Position — De- 
fects of  the  New  Constitution — The  Cabinet  of  the  President 
—  Activity  and  violence  of  the  Red  Republican  Clubs  — 
Fouchet's  Bill  for  their  Suppression  —  Ledru  Rollin  pro- 
poses the  Impeachment  of  the  Ministers  —  The  President's 
Intrepidity  —  Conspiracy  against  him  throughout  France — 
Opposition  to  him  in  the  Assembly  —  Revolution  in  the 
Ecclesiastical  States  —  Roman  Republic  proclaimed  —  Maz- 
zini  and  Garibaldi — Defeat  of  General  Oudinot  —  The  new 
Legislative  Assembly  —  Louis  Napoleon's  Message  to  the 
Assembly  —  Downfall  of  the  Roma^n  Republic 123 


CONTENTS.  XV 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Louis  Napoleon  in  the  Workshops  of  Paris  —  Incidents  and 
Escapes  —  His  Tour  through  the  Provinces  —  Committee  of 
Permanence  —  Decree  permitting  the  Return  of  the  Bour- 
bons— The  President's  Letter  to  Colonel  Ney — Duel  between 
Thiers  and  Bixio — Victor  Hugo's  Hostility  to  the  President 
— New  Ministers  appointed — Sudden  growth  of  Socialism — 
Election  of  Representatives — The  Law  of  Universal  Suffrage 
— Increasing  Hostility  of  the  Assembly  to  the  President — In- 
crease of  the  President's  Salary — His  second  Tour  through 
the  Provinces — Hostility  of  Changarnier  to  the  President — 
The  Reviews  at  Satory — Conspiracy  to  Arrest  the  President 
— The  False  Message — The  Revision  of  the  Constitution  dis- 
cussed —  The  President's  Speech  at  Dijon  —  Universal  Suf- 
frage again  discussed — New  Cabinet  of  the  President — State 
of  France — Approach  of  the  Decisive  Moment  for  Action . .   137 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Coup  oVEtat — Ball  at  the  Elyste  Palace — Louis  Napoleon 
in  his  Cabinet — Printing  of  the  Proclamations — Their  Distri- 
bution throughout  the  Capital  —  Simultaneous  Arrest  of  the 
chief  Enemies  of  the  President  —  The  Soldiers  take  posses- 
sion of  the  Hall  of  the  Assembly — Fragments  of  the  Assem- 
bly convene  elsewhere  —  Events  of  Wednesday  —  Prepara- 
tions for  Thursday  —  Appearance  of  Paris  on  Thursday  — 
The  Military — The  Barricades — Massacres  in  the  Streets  — 
Rout  of  the  Insurgents  —  Defeat  of  the  Red  Republicans  — 
Number  of  Killed  and  Wounded  —  Louis  Napoleon's  Pro- 
clamation— The  General  Election — The  President's  Active 
Measures  —  The  Results  of  the  Ballots  —  Louis  Napoleon 
President  for  Ten  Years — Te  Deum — The  President  removes 
to  the  Tuilleries  —  His  subsequent  Proceedings  —  General 
Changarnier  —  Cavaignac  —  Lamorici6re  —  General  Leflo — 
General  Bedeau — La  Grange — M.  Grippo — Colonel  Charras — 
M.  Roger  (du  Nord)— M.  Baze— M.  Thiers— The  consterna- 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

tion  of  the  Historian  of  the  Revolution,  The  Consulate  and 
the  Empire 152 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Progress  of  Louis  Napoleon's  Ambition — The  Empire — Popu- 
lar Acts  of  Government — The  new  Constitution — The  Preva- 
lence of  Alarm  —  Growth  of  Socialism  —  The  President's 
Journey  through  the  Provinces  —  The  Infernal  Machine  at 
Marseilles  —  Decree  against  the  Property  of  the  Orleans 
Family  —  Excuses  for  that  Decree  —  The  Restoration  of  the 
Empire — Return  of  the  Votes — Reign  of  Terror — Proposals 
for  the  Marriage  of  the  Emperor  —  Their  Refusal  —  The 
Parisian  Belle — Qualities  of  the  Countess  de  Teba — She  is 
selected  by  Louis  Napoleon  as  his  Empress — His  Address  to 
the  Senate — The  Imperial  Nuptials — Imposing  Ceremonies 
on  the  Occasion  —  National  Rejoicings  and  Congratulations 
— The  Emperor's  Address  to  the  Senate  —  Prospects  of  the 
Empire 172 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Origin  of  the  War  in  the  Crimea — Insulting  Letter  of  Nicholas 
I.  to  the  French  Emperor — Early  History  of  the  Crimea  — 
The  Empress  Catherine  II.  —  She  subjugates  the  Crimea  — 
Origin  of  Sevastopol — Nicholas  I.  resolves  on  the  Conquest 
of  Turkey — The  Holy  Places  in  Palestine — Communications 
between  Nicholas  and  the  British  Government — The  War — 
The  Peace — The  Treaty  of  Paris — Provisions  of  the  Treaty 
— Louis  Napoleon  the  real  Hero  of  the  War —  The  English 
Press  and  its  Adulation  of  him — A  Contrast — Visit  of  Louis 
Napoleon  to  Queen  Victoria  —  Extract  from  the  London 
Times — Addresses  by  Corporations — Attempt  to  Assassinate 
Louis  Napoleon  in  Paris — Visit  of  Queen  Victoria  to  Louis 
Napoleon  —  The  Exhibition  of  the  World's  Industry  —  The 
French  Press  on  the  English  Alliance — Birth  of  the  Prinoe 
of  Algeria  —  Frantic  Joy  of  the  Nation  —  Addresses  of  Con- 
gratulation— The  Emperor's  Reply  to  the  Senate — His  Pious 
Response  to  the  Corps  Legislatif—Abd-e\-Ka,der — Barbes. . .  185 


CONTENTS.  XVl'l 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Relations  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  Marshal  St.  Arnaud  — 
The  Army  of  the  Allies  —  St.  Arnaud  and  the  Coup  d'Etat 
— He  takes  no  part  in  the  Revolution  of  February — Leading 
Qualities  of  St.  Arnaud — His  peculiar  Afflictions — His  Suc- 
cesses— The  Slanders  which  those  Successes  elicited — The 
Mental  Tortures  which  they  Inflicted  on  him  —  His  only 
Remedy — St.  Arnaud  and  the  Priest — He  is  appointed  Com- 
mander of  the  Army  of  the  East — Suffers  under  a  dreadful 
fatal  Disease — Proceedings  at  Varna — Embarkation  for  the' 
Crimea  —  Battle  of  the  Alma  —  Heroism  of  the  Zouaves  — 
Exertions  of  St.  Arnaud  —  The  Victory  —  He  sleeps  on  tht 
Battle-field — His  Farewell  to  the  Army — Resigns  the  Com 
mand  to  General  Canrobert  —  His  Death <J04 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

General  Canrobert  —  His  peculiar  Genius  —  His  remarkabU 
Activity  and  Vigilance  —  His  personal  Appearance  —  Hia 
Birth  and  Youth — His  Exploits  in  Algiers — His  Conduct  in 
the  Crimea — He  succeeds  St.  Arnaud  to  the  Chief  Command 
— Lord  Radcliffe  —  Difficulties  of  Canrobert's  Position  —  He 
Resigns  the  Chief  Command — He  is  the  victim  of  Diplomacy 
— His  Mission  to  Sweden — A  Greek  Myth— The  Future  of 
Canrobert  and  Pelissier 216 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  great  Rival  of  Louis  Napoleon — Marshal  Bugeaud's  esti- 
mate of  Cavaignac — A  better  Estimate  of  him — His  conduct 
as  Dictator  of  France — Cavaignac's  Birth  and  early  History 
—  He  makes  the  Campaign  of  the  Morea  —  Policy  of  Louis 
Philippe  —  Cavaignac  is  sent  to  Algiers  —  His  Bravery  and 
Ability  there— The  Revolution  of  1848  in  France— The  Pro- 
visional Government  appoint  him  Governor-General  of  Al- 
giers— He  declines  the  Office  of  Minister  of  War — Resent- 
2* 


Xvill  CONTENTS. 

ment  of  the  Provisional  Government  —  He  accepts  the  post 
of  Minister  of  War  from  the  Republic — The  Downfall  of  the 
Executive  Commission  —  Cavaignac  appointed  Dictator  of 
France  —  His  Cabinet  —  Results  of  his  Measures  —  Louis 
Napoleon  elected  President  —  Subsequent  insignificance  of 
Cavaignac — He  is  arrested  at  the  Coup  d'Etat — Conduct  of 
Mademoiselle  Odier — Correspondence  between  Cavaignac 
and  De  Morny — Cavaignac's  release  from  Prison — His  mar- 
riage to  Mdlle.  Odier  —  His  subsequent  Obscurity  —  His 
Death 223 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Louis  Napoleon's  Reputation  for  Gallantry  —  Was  always  re- 
garded in  England  as  a  bad  matrimonial  match  —  He  is 
rejected  by  Miss  Belleu  —  He  afterward  Rejects  her  —  The 
Princess  Mathilde — Louis  Napoleon's  Intrigue  with  Mdlle. 
Lautre — His  connection  with  the  Countess  de  Castiglione — 
Despair  of  the  Empress — The  Opera  of  Joconde — The  Count 
De  Morny  —  The  Prince  Walewski  —  Influence  of  Louis 
Napoleon's  reign  on  French  Society — The  contrast  between 
its  Influence  and  that  of  Charles  X.  and  Louis  Philippe ....  234 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  visit  of  Napoleon  III.  and  Eugenie  to  England  in  1855  — 
The  Journey  of  Queen  Victoria  to  Paris  — The  Inundations 
in  France  in  1856  —  Louis  Napoleon's  great  Administrative 
Talent — The  pacific  Splendors  of  the  Empire — Visit  of  the 
Grand  Duke  Constantine  of  Russia  to  Paris  —  Review  of 
Troops  in  the  Capital  in  1857 — The  magnificent  Coup  d'CEii 
— Louis  Napoleon's  Etat  Major — Private  Amusements  of  the 
French  Court — Political  Apathy  in  France  —  Causes  of 
that  Apathy  —  The  "  Council  of  Regency"  —  The  Elections 
throughout  France  in  June,  1857  —  Attempted  Assassina- 
tions    241 


CONTENTS.  XIX 


PART   SECOND. 

NAPOLEONIC     MISCELLANY. 

No.  I. 

Louis  Napoleon's  Views  of  the  English  Revolution ;  from  his 
"  Historical  Fragments" 251 

No.  II. 

Louis  Napoleon's  Letter  respecting  his  Father,  to  the  Minister 
of  the  Interior 256 

No.  III. 
Letter  to  Louis  Napoleon  respecting  the  Nicaragua  Canal. . . .  256 

No.  IV. 
Letter  of  Odillon  Barrot  to  the  Prince  Napoleon 259 

No.  V. 
Louis  Napoleon's  Letter  to  M.  Vieillard 260 

No.  VI. 
Letter  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  the  National  Assembly 262 

No.  VII. 
Curious  Scene  in  the  National  Assembly 262 

No.  VIII. 

Speech  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  the  National  Assembly 265 

No.  IX. 
First  Inaugural  Address  of  President  Napoleon 268 

No.  X. 
Letter  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  his  Cousin 269 


XX  CONTENTS. 

No.   XL 

Proclamation  of  Louis  Napoleon,  the  President  of  the  Repub- 
lic of  the  French  People 270 

No.  XII. 

Annual  Message   of  President  Napoleon  to  the  Assembly, 
November,  1850 271 

No.  XIII. 
Famous  Speech  of  President  Napoleon  at  Dijon 273 

No.  XIV. 

Second  Annual  Message  of  President  Napoleon 275 

No.  XV. 
Memoir  of  Louis  Bonaparte,  ex-King  of  Holland 279 

No.  XVI. 

Memoir  of  Hortense  Beauharnois,  ex-Queen  of  Holland 296 

No.  XVII. 
Rivals  of  Napoleon  III.  to  the  Throne  of  France 383 


PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  HISTORY 


OF 


NAPOLEON   THE  THIRD. 


CHAPTER   I. 


Splendor  of  the  Napoleonic  Dynasty  —  Relative  Importance  of  Loins 
Napoleon  in  that  Dynasty  —  His  Birth  —  His  supposed  Illegitimacy — ■ 
His  Infancy  —  Interest  felt  by  Napoleon  I.  in  his  fate  —  The  Fall  of 
the  Emperor — Heroism  of  Hortense — Her  Departure  from  Paris 
with  her  Sons — Her  Residence  at  Malmaison — Death  of  Josephine — 
Boyhood  of  Louis  Napoleon  —  His  early  Education  —  Napoleon's 
return  from  Elba — Waterloo — Capitulation  of  Paris  —  Flight  of  Hor- 
tense and  her  Sons  —  Her  Residence  at  Aix — Her  Husband  demands 
their  eldest  Son  —  Her  Residence  at  Constance — "  Partant  pour  la 
Syrie" — College  Studies  of  Louis  Napoleon  —  Hortense  purchases  the 
estate  of  Arenemberg  —  Her  occasional  Residence  at  Rome  —  Pro- 
gress of  Louis  Napoleon  in  Military  Studies  —  The  Revolution  of 
July,  1830. 

The  career  of  the  great  Napoleonic  dynasty  is  without  a 
parallel  either  in  ancient  or  modern  times.  The  universal 
judgment  of  mankind  has  long  since  decided,  that  its  founder, 
Napoleon  I.,  was  in  every  respect  as  great  a  hero,  and  pro- 
bably a  greater,  than  Alexander,  Ciesar,  or  Charlemagne,  the 
three  most  renowned  representatives  of  ambitious  and  martial 
darin<?  in  the  world's  historv.  It  has  been  conceded  that  the 
variety  and  extent  of  Napoleon's  abilities,  both  as  a  com- 
mander, a  legislator,  and  a  ruler,  place  him  above  all  his 
rivals.  It  is  also  granted  that  the  splendor  of  his  victories, 
the  extent  of  his  conquests,  and  the  grandeur  of  his  elevation, 
exceeded  theirs  in  an  eminent  degree 

(21) 


22  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

But  in  addition  to  all  these  elements  of  superior  greatness, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  the  family  of  Napoleon  I.  add  an 
unequal  attraction  and  halo  to  his  career.  Neither  of  hi3 
illustrious  rivals  could  boast  of  a  wife  as  graceful  and  be- 
witching as  Josephine,  or  as  high-born  and  nobly  descended 
as  Maria  Louisa.  None  of  them  possessed  a  sister  who,  like 
Pauline,  deserved  the  distinction  of  being  called  the  most 
beautiful  and  fascinating  woman  of  her  time.  None  could 
point  to  a  Caroline  who  combined  beauty,  intrepidity,  and 
talent,  in  so  pre-eminent  a  measure.  None  of  them  could 
claim  brothers  as  sagacious  as  Joseph,  as  gallant  as  Murat, 
as  romantic  as  Jerome,  as  capable  as  Lucien.  None  of  these 
rival  conquerors  could  point  to  as  many  relatives  who  were 
sovereign  princes  and  princesses,  and  who  owed  their  dizzy 
eminence  to  his  own  powerful  arm.  And  none  of  them  had  a 
successor  equal  in  talent,  and  in  desperate,  successful  daring, 
to  Napoleon  III.  It  must  be  admitted,  also,  that  the  present 
Emperor  of  the  French  is  the  second  personage  in  point  of 
consequence,  celebrity,  and  interest,  among  all  that  illustrious 
company  who  bear  the  name  and  share  the  glory  of  the  Bona- 
partes ;  and  that  his  career  possesses  an  importance  and  splendor, 
inferior  only  to  that  of  the  great  head  of  the  family  himself. 

Charles  Louis  Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  born  at  Paris 
on  the  20th  of  April,  1808.  He  was  the  third  and  only  sur- 
viving son  of  Louis  Napoleon,  the  King  of  Holland,  and  Hor- 
tense,  the  daughter  of  the  Empress  Josephine,  by  her  first  hus- 
band, the  Yiscount  de  Beauharnois.  The  infant  prince  first  saw 
the  light  at  one  o'clock,  and  the  Chancellor  of  the  Empire 
immediately  wrote  to  the  Emperor,  the  Empress,  and  to 
Louis  Napoleon,  informing  them  of  the  happy  event.  At 
five  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  act  of  birth  was  received  by 
the  Arch-Chancellor,  assisted  by  his  eminence,  Regnault  de 
St.  Jean  d'Angely,  the  minister  of  state,  and  secretary  of  the 
imperial  family.  Salvos  of  artillery  announced  the  happy 
event  along  the  whole  line  of  the  grande  armee,  through- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  23 

out  the  entire  extent  of  the  empire,  from  Hamburg  to  Genoa, 
from  the  Danube  to  the  Atlantic.  This  was  an  honor  which 
fell  to  the  lot  of  only  two  members  of  the  imperial  family, 
Louis  Napoleon,  and  the  King  of  Rome ;  for  they  only  were 
born  under  the  imperial  regime. 

Notwithstanding  these  and  other  testimonials  of  the  legiti- 
macy of  Louis  Napoleon,  it  has  been  gravely  asserted  by  au- 
thorities of  no  mean  importance,  that  not  a  drop  of  Bona- 
parte blood  flows  in  his  veins;  and  that  he  is,  in  reality,  the 
eon  of  the  favorite  lover  of  Hortense,  Admiral  Yerhuel,  a 
Dutch  nobleman  connected  with  the  court  of  her  husband, 
while  king  of  Holland.  It  is  well  known  that  the  marriage 
between  Louis  Bonaparte  and  Hortense  was  a  compulsory 
one,  brought  about  by  the  tears  and  persuasions  of  Josephine. 
Napoleon's  Minister  of  Police,  the  celebrated  Fouche,  boldly 
asserts  in  his  Memoirs,  that  Hortense  was  then  already  preg- 
nant by  the  Emperor ;  that  the  latter  first  determined  to 
marry  her  immediately  to  Duroc  ;  that  Duroc  positively  re- 
fused, being  engaged  to  another  lady  whom  he  loved  ;  and 
that  then  Louis  was  absolutely  commanded  to  accede  to  a 
union  with  the  daughter  of  Josephine.  Subsequent  events 
seemed  indeed  to  give  the  color  of  truth  to  these  assertions. 
From  the  day  of  that  union,  the  young  couple  never  pretended 
to  entertain  the  least  affection  for  each  other.  From  January 
the  20th,  1802,  the  date  of  the  marriage,  down  till  September, 
1807,  the  period  of  their  separation,  they  never  resided  toge- 
ther more  than  four  months,  and  that  at  very  remote  inter- 
vals. Some  months  after  their  final  separation,  and  after 
Hortense  had  taken  up  her  permanent  residence  in  Paris, 
Louis  Napoleon  Bonaparte  wa  =  born.  The  strongest  proof 
which  supports  the  assertion  of  the  illegitimacy  of  his  birth, 
is  his  own  peculiarly  apathetic  Dutch  temperament ;  a  tem- 
perament such  as  no  other  Frenchman  ever  possessed  since 
the  national  existence  began.  To  this  may  be  added  the 
total  want  of  any  resemblance  in  his  features  to  the  Napoleon 
family,  and  their  very  considerable  similarity  to  those  of  the 
courtly  and  accomplished  Dutch  Admiral  already  referred  to 


24  PUBLIC     AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

The  family  of  Horten.se  and  Louis  Bonaparte  consisted  of 
the  eldest  son,  called  Napoleon  Louis  Charles,  born  in  1802, 
who  died  in  1807  ;  the  second  son  named  Napoleon  Louis, 
ivho  was  born  in  1804,  was  baptized  by  Pope  Pius  VII.,  and 
who  died  in  1831 ;  and  the  subject  of  this  history.  The 
family  register  of  the  Bonapartes  which  contained  the  evi- 
dence of  the  right  of  the  succession,  had  been  deposited  in 
the  keeping  of  the  Senate.  By  the  Plebiscite  of  the  year 
1804,  the  children  of  the  brothers  of  Napoleon  L,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  his  own  direct  heirs,  were  entitled  to  the  succession 
to  the  throne  in  the  order  of  their  ages.  Accordingly,,  at 
the  period  of  his  birth,  Louis  Napoleon  was  regarded  as  the 
second  heir  of  the  empire,  and  considerable  interest  clustered 
around  his  person  from  his  earliest  years,  as  one  who  might 
perhaps  be  reserved  by  the  mysterious  vicissitudes  of  fate,  for 
a  brilliant  or  at  least  a  checkered  destiny.  He  was  baptized 
in  1810  by  Cardinal  Fesch,  with  great  splendor,  at  Fontain- 
bleau,  the  Emperor  and  Maria  Louisa  themselves  acting  as 
sponsors. 

His  earliest  years  were  spent  in  his  mother's  private  resi- 
dence in  the  Rue  Cerutti,  now  Lafitte,  in  Paris.  She  was 
his  first  preceptor  ;  and  she  was  well  fitted  for  the  task.  Hor- 
tense  was  a  woman  of  great  intelligence,  refinement  and  taste. 
Herself  educated  by  the  accomplished  Madame  Campan,  she 
possessed  a  well-cultivated  mind.  She  had,  when  quite  a  girl, 
distinguished  herself  in  the  celebrated  school  d'Ecouen,  by 
her  superior  talents  for  music  and  drawing.  She  was  learned, 
witty,  and  exceedingly  attractive  in  her  manners.  In  a  word, 
she  was  worthy  to  be  the  daughter  of  Josephine.  She  reared 
her  two  sons  with  great  stric'ness  ;  and  the  severity  of  the 
training  to  which  she  subjected  them,  was  intended  both  to 
enlarge  and  cultivate  their  minds,  as  well  as  to  strengthen 
and  develop  their  bodies.1 

1  Hortense  was,  in  all  respects,  a  remarkable  woman  ;  beautiful  in 
person,  in  organization  peculiarly  delicate,  feeble  in  health,  flexible  in 
her  principles ;  yet,  when  a  resolution  had  once  been  adopted,  she  dia- 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  25 

Napoleon  himself  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  progress  of 
the  boys.  He  frequently  sent  for  them,  while  he  was  break- 
fasting hastily  in  his  cabinet,  in  order  to  converse  with  them, 
to  ascertain  their  progress  in  learning,  and  to  scrutinize  the 
displays  or  evidences  which  they  might  give  of  intelligence 
and  talent.  Not  even  the  subsequent  birth  of  the  king  of 
Home  seemed  to  diminish  the  intense  interest  which  Napoleon 
felt  in  the  children  of  Hortense.  His  sagacious  mind  well 
appreciated  the  uncertainties  of  human  life,  and  the  possibility 
of  the  death  of  his  direct  heir.  There  is  ample  evidence  to 
prove,  that  both  in  prosperity  and  misfortune,  until  the  end 
of  his  marvellous  career  at  St.  Helena,  the  great  conqueror 
regarded  the  fate  of  the  two  sons  of  Hortense  with  solicitude, 
and  watched  their  career  with  a  vigilant  eye. 

Louis  Napoleon  continued  to  reside  in  Paris  with  his  mother 
till  1814.  During  the  interval  between  this  period  and  the 
separation  of  his  parents,  his  father  had  led  a  retired  life  at 
Gratz,  in  Germany.     When  the  first  great  disasters  of  Napo- 

played  so  much  tenacity  of  purpose  as  to  expose  her  justly  to  the  charge 
of  obstinacy.  In  courage,  whether  active  or  passive,  she  was  uncon- 
querable. To  the  unfortunate,  she  was  kind  and  generous;  she  was 
affectionate  in  her  friendships ;  and,  towards  her  children,  tender,  gentle, 
and  full  of  solicitude.  But  her  ruling  passion  was  attachment  to  Napo- 
leon I.,  which,  in  times  of  great  difficulty  and  danger,  overmastered 
even  her  maternal  feelings,  and  led  her  for  his  sake  to  set  the  whole 
world  and  her  own  interests  at  defiance. 

Hortense  possessed  the  most  beautiful  and  luxuriant  hair,  of  a  light 
shining  blonde,  tinged  with  an  ashen  hue,  which  imparted  to  it  an  ex- 
traordinary appearance.  It  was  nearly  long  enough  to  reach  the  ground, 
and  when  she  sat  upon  a  chair  to  have  it  dressed,  she  suffered  it  to  fall 
over  her  whole  figure  like  a  veil,  and  trail  on  all  sides  upon  the  floor. 
Even  at  such  times  her  two  little  sons  were  always  present,  and  often 
used  to  amuse  themselves  by  hiding  in  turn  under  their  mother's  hair, 
and  bolting  out  suddenly  to  produce  a  laugh.  When  she  was  dressed 
they  generally  went  down  with  her  to  the  carriage-door,  one  of  the 
little  fellows  carrying  her  gloves  and  shawl,  the  other  performing  the 
duties  of  a  page,  and  bearing  her  ample  train. — Life  of  Louis  Napo- 
leon, by  J.  A.  St.  John,  p.  8. 

3 


26  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

leon  occurred  after  the  Russian  expedition,  when  the  mighty 
Colossus  who  had  so  long  overawed  the  world  lay  prostrate 
on  the  earth,  the  former  king  of  Holland  hastened  to  Paris. 
When  the  allied  armies  drew  their  vast  lines  closely  around 
the  French  capital,  Hortense  was  undismayed  by  the  dangers 
which  surrounded  the  imperial  family,  and  remained.  She 
actively  employed  herself  in  procuring  relief  for  the  thousands 
of  wounded  French  soldiers  who  crowded  the  hospitals  of 
Paris.  She  praised  the  fortitude  of  her  husband  in  remaining 
near  the  Emperor.  No  perils  nor  threats  could  appal  her; 
and  she  displayed  pre-eminently  on  this  occasion  the  leading 
attribute  of  her  character,  which  was  the  secret  of  all  her 
domestic  difficulties  and  troubles  —  her  unconquerable  ob- 
stinacy. When  she  beheld  Maria  Louisa  desert  with 
cowardice  and  pusillanimity  the  capital  of  her  husband's 
Empire,  thus  betraying  his  dearest  interests  in  the  moment  of 
his  greatest  peril,  she  gave  way  to  excusable  paroxysms  of 
rage,  and  exclaimed  to  the  Empress,  "  I  am  incensed  at 
the  weakness  which  I  see.  You  intend  to  destroy  France  and 
the  Emperor.  You  must  be  aware  that  by  quitting  Paris  you 
neutralize  its  defence  and  lose  your  crown.  You  make  the 
sacrifice  with  great  resignation  1"  "You  are  right,"  replied 
the  pliant  Austrian  princess;  "but  it  is  not  my  fault.  The 
council  have  thus  decided."  Hortense  being  asked  what  she 
intended  to  do,  answered  :  "  I  shall  remain  at  Paris,  and  will 
share  with  the  Parisians  all  their  fortunes,  be  they  good  or 
bad."  "I  wish,"  said  she,  energetically,  "that  I  were  the 
mother  of  the  King  of  Rome  ;  I  would  inspire  all  around  me 
with  the  energy  I  could  exhibit."  Speaking  to  Regnault, 
the  Colonel  of  the  National  Guard,  she  said  :  "  Unfortunately 
I  cannot  fill  the  place  of  the  Empress ;  but  I  do  not  doubt 
that  the  Emperor  is  executing  manoeuvres  which  will  soon 
conduct  him  hither.  Paris  invst  hold  out ;  and  if  the  National 
Guard  is  willing  to  defend  it,  tell  them  that  T  pledge  myself 
to  remain  here  with  my  sons." 

Such  was  the  heroism  and  determination  of  the  mother  of 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  27 

.he  present  Emperor  of  France,  and  such  the  noble  example 
which  she  gave  to  him,  and  to  the  world,  of  devotion  to  the 
interests  of  her  illustrious  benefactor. 

After  all  was  lost,  Hortense  was  directed  by  her  husband 
to  send  him  their  children  in  order  to  convey  them  to  a  place 
of  safety,  as  they  might  be  taken  by  the  enemy  as  hostages. 
She  accordingly  left  Paris  only  two  days  before  the  entry  of 
the  allies.  She  commenced  her  sad  journey  at  nine  o'clock  at 
night,  taking  the  road  to  Glatigny.  When  she  reached  Ram- 
bouillet,  she  received  an  order  from  her  husband  to  repair  with 
her  children  to  Blois.  She  considered  this  requisition  as  an 
insult,  and  exclaimed,  with  her  usual  determination  and  obsti- 
nacy, which  had  long  before  induced  her  brother  Eugene  to 
call  her  his  Dear  Stubborn — "I  was  going  to  Blois,  but  since 
I  am  ordered  to  go,  I  will  not  go."  She  crossed  the  forest 
of  Rambouillet,  even  at  the  risk  of  being  captured  by  the 
Russians,  and  reached  Navarre,  whither  her  mother  Josephine 
had  taken  refuge.1 

At  this  retreat  Hortense  was  undetermined  what  to  do. 

1  The  following  anecdote  is  told  in  reference  to  Prince  Louis  and  the 
celebrated  Madame  de  Stael :  On  one  occasion,  having  dazzled  and 
bewildered  every  one  else,  she  turned  to  the  children  of  Hortense, 
resolved  apparently  to  extort  admiration  even  from  them.  But  children 
form  a  world  by  themselves,  and  require  to  be  subdued  by  very  different 
arts  from  those  which  succeed  with  grown-up  people.  She  overwhelmed 
the  young  princes  with  questions ;  she  investigated,  she  made  long 
speeches,  and  she  at  length  inspired  them  with  intense  ennui.  *'  Do  you 
love  your  uncle  ?"  she  inquired.  "Very  much."  "  Do  you  think  you 
shall  be  as  fond  of  war  as  he  is?"  "Yes,  I  should  be,  if  it  did  not 
cause  so  much  evil."  "Is  it  true  that  your  uncle  often  used  to  make 
you  repeat  the  fable  which  begins  with  these  words  —  'The  reason  of 
the  most  powerful  is  always  the  best?'"  "Madame,  he  often  used  to 
make  me  repeat  fables,  but  not  that  one  oftener  than  any  other."  The 
younger  Napoleon,  who  had  a  judgment  beyond  his  age,  replied  to  her 
with  great  calmness  and  circumspection,  and  when  the  dialogue  was 
over  came  to  Madame  Boubers,  saying,  "  That  lady  is  a  great  question- 
monger;  I  wander,  now,  if  that  is  what  people  call  genius?"  —  Set 
Life  of  Louis  Napoleon,  by  J.  A.  St.  John,  p.  50. 


28  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Once  she  thought  of  retiring  to  Martinique  and  residing  upon 
the  family  estate  which  her  mother  still  possessed  in  that 
island.  This  project  however  was  soon  given  up.  After  the 
allies  entered  Paris,  her  elegant  hotel  was  occupied  by  Swedish 
officers  ;  but  having  soon  received  assurances  from  the  Em- 
peror Alexander  that  she  and  her  mother  should  be  protected, 
and  their  interests  provided  for,  she  returned  to  the  capital 
with  her  sons,  and  there  awaited  the  final  issue  of  events.  It 
was  stipulated  by  Napoleon  in  the  act  of  abdication  at  Fon- 
tainbleau,  that  Hortense  should  receive  a  permanent  yearly 
revenue  of  four  hundred  thousand  francs,  and  that  she  should 
retain  possession  of  her  sons.  Through  the  influence  of  the 
Russian  monarch,  her  estate  of  St.  Leu  was  erected  into  a 
duchy,  of  which  she  took  the  title  and  the  dignities. 

The  government  of  Louis  XYIIL,  however,  did  not  treat 
the  fallen  queen  with  the  same  generosity.  A  portion  of  the 
forest  of  St.  Leu  was  restored  by  him  to  its  ancient  proprie- 
tor, the  Prince  de  Conde  ;  the  sum  of  six  hundred  thousand 
francs,  which  had  been  deposited  by  Napoleon  in  the  hands 
of  the  Receiver-General  of  Blois,  to  the  credit  of  herself  and 
Josephine,  was  given  to  the  Duke  d'Angouleme  ;  and  the  in- 
scription on  the  national  treasury  of  a  million  and  a  half  of 
francs,  which  Napoleon  had  guaranteed  to  Hortense,  was 
repealed. 

After  the  departure  of  Napoleon  to  Elba,  Hortense  resided 
with  her  two  sons  chiefly  at  Malmarson  with  her  mother. 
Here  the  family  were  frequently  visited  by  the  illustrious 
strangers  who  were  then  in  Paris,  and  especially  by  the  Em- 
peror Alexander.  It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion,  Alexander, 
Josephine,  Prince  Eugene,  and  Hortense,  with  her  two  sons, 
visited  together  the  works  of  Marly,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mal- 
maison  ;  that  Alexander's  dress  was  on  the  point  of  being 
caught  in  the  machinery,  in  consequence  of  his  too  near 
approach,  and  that  his  life  was  saved  by  the  sudden  move- 
ment of  Hortense.     Tim  act  of  sincere  devotion  completely 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  29 

won  the  heart  of  Alexander,  who  from  that  moment  became 
nuch  attached  to  her. 

Greater  misfortunes  now  overwhelmed  Hortense  and  her 
children  than  had  ever  before  fallen  to  their  lot.  On  the  29th 
of  May,  1814,  her  amiable  and  illustrious  mother  Josephine 
expired  in  her  arms.  Regretted  as  this  noble  woman  was  by 
every  one  with  whom  she  had  ever  come  in  contact,  none  felt 
the  blow  so  profoundly  and  acutely  as  Hortense.  Of  Josephine 
alone,  of  all  human  beings,  could  it  with  truth  have  been 
said,  as  indeed  it  was  frequently  asserted,  that  "she  never 
caused  the  shedding  of  a  single  tear."  The  grief  of  Hortense 
was  agonizing  beyond  description  ;  and  the  baseness  of  the 
government  of  Louis  XVIII.  added  a  still  sharper  pang  to 
those  which  already  distracted  her  bosom.  Josephine  was 
scarcely  laid  in  her  grave  when  M.  Blacas,  on  the  part  of  the 
king,  demanded  the  pictures  which  were  at  Malraaison  as  the 
property  of  the  State;  and  other  indignities  were  subsequently 
offered  her. 

Notwithstanding  these  reverses,  the  characteristic  generosity 
of  Hortense  still  marked  her  conduct  in  settling  the  estate  of 
Josephine  with  Eugene.  She  reserved  to  herself  the  payment 
of  twenty  thousand  francs  in  salaries,  and  gave  away  a  hun- 
dred thousand  francs  in  presents  to  the  needy  and  faithful 
dependants  of  the  fallen  dynasty.  In  consequence  of  the 
reduction  of  her  pecuniary  resources  from  various  causes,  she 
now  curtailed  her  style  of  living  ;  relinquished  all  the  useless 
expenditures  of  the  days  of  her  splendor  ;  and  dismissed  her 
attendants,  except  three  women  and  the  tutor  of  her  sons. 

At  this  memorable  and  exciting  period  Louis  Napoleon 
was  five  years  old.  He  was  even  then  remarkable  for  the 
taciturnity  of  his  disposition.  Though  he  spoke  very  little, 
he  seemed  to  be  reflective  and  intelligent.  His  progress  in  his 
studies  was  moderate  ;  neither  deficient  nor  remarkable.  His 
mother  had  taught  him  to  regard  the  Emperor  Alexander  as 
a  friend.  Accordingly  on  one  occasion  when  that  monarch 
«?as  present,  Louis  Napoleon  quietly  approached  him,  and 
3* 


30  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

placed  in  his  hand  a  little  ring  which  his  uncle  Eugene  had 
given  bira.  When  his  mother  inquired  what  he  had  done,  he 
answered  :  "  I  have  nothing  but  the  ring  which  uncle  Eugene 
gave  me,  to  give  ;  and  I  wanted  to  give  it  to  the  Emperor 
because  he  is  so  good  to  you."  Alexander  embraced  the 
child,  and  retained  his  present. 

The  nurse  chosen  by  Hortense  for  her  son,  was  a  lady 
named  Madam  Bure.  This  person  was  a  handsome  and  pretty 
brunette,  small  in  stature,  but  possessing  remarkably  fine,  ex- 
pressive black  eyes.  On  one  occasion,  when  attending  young 
Louis  at  the  Tuilleries,  she  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Emperor  Napoleon,  and  elicited  his  rather  significant  com- 
pliments. At  length  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  Madam  Bure  so 
rudely  as  to  cause  her  to  blush.  Napoleon,  seeing  her  con- 
fusion, turned  away,  exclaiming:  "  That  young  rogue  has  a 
very  charming  nurse  !"  Madam  Bure  was  much  attached  to 
the  family  and  person  of  Hortense  ;  she  continued  in  her 
suite  during  the  lifetime  of  the  ex-queen,  and  resided  with 
her  till  her  death  at  Arenemberg. 

The  chief  solace  of  Hortense  at  this  period  was,  the  pos- 
sion  and  education  of  her  sons.  She  was  threatened  even 
with  the  loss  of  these  ;  for  her  husband,  having  retired  to 
Italy,  now  demanded  them  from  her.  She  refused  to  resign 
them  ;  and  a  lawsuit  was  commenced  to  recover  possession  of 
them.  A  verdict  was  given  in  favor  of  the  father ;  but  before 
it  could  be  executed,  Napoleon's  sudden  return  from  Elba 
suspended  the  proceedings,  and  again  threw  France  and  the 
whole  continent  into  confusion.  On  the  20th  of  March,  1815, 
he  reached  his  former  capital.  The  ex-queen  of  Holland  was 
among  the  first  to  congratulate  him.  Her  reception  at  the 
Tuilleries,  contrary  to  her  expectation,  was  rather  cold.  Na- 
poleon condemned  her  for  having  remained  at  Paris  during 
the  supremacy  of  the  Bourbons.  But  Hortense  had  an 
excuse  ready,  which  was  both  reasonable  and  adroit.  Said 
she:  "Sire,  I  had  a  strong  presentiment  that  you  would 
return;  and  I  waited  for  you  here."     The  great  hero  and 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  31 

stern  conqueror  at  once  melted  down  very  perceptibly  at  this 
skilful  reply. 

The  day  after  Napoleon's  return,  Hortense  presented  to 
him  her  sous.  He  received  them  with  warm  and  affectionate 
feelings.  The  King  of  Rome  was  then  a  captive  and  a  state- 
prisoner  at  Venice,  with  his  mother ;  and  the  importance  of 
the  children  of  Hortense  became  magnified  in  consequence 
of  that  fact.  They  became  the  inheritors  of  the  attentions 
which  would  have  fallen  to  the  lot  of  the  son  of  Maria  Louisa. 
At  the  august  ceremony  of  the  ratification  of  the  uew  con- 
stitution, in  the  Champs  de  Mai,  they  stood  by  the  side  of 
Napoleon's  throne  ;  he  presented  them  separately  to  the  de- 
putations of  the  army  and  the  people  ;  and  he  regarded  them 
as  pledges  to  confirm  the  new  alliance  which  on  that  day  had 
been  made  between  France  and  the  returned  Emperor.  At 
Napoleon's  request,  Hortense  wrote  to  Maria  Louisa  to  urge 
her  to  make  some  movements  toward  reaching  her  husband. 
But  all  her  arguments  were  thrown  away  upon  the  stupid  and 
imbecile  nature  of  the  ignoble  being,  whom  fortune  had  in- 
sanely elevated  to  share  the  throne  of  the  aspiring  hero  of  a 
hundred  battles.  Hortense  received  no  answer  to  her  elo- 
quent and  impassioned  representations.  In  the  absence  of 
Maria  Louisa  from  the  imperial  court,  Hortense  assumed  her 
place,  and  did  the  honors.  She  was  consequently  beset  with 
an  infinite  number  of  applications  ;  and  she  displayed  in  this 
high  place  the  same  generosity  and  benevolence  in  relieving 
the  miseries  of  others,  which  had  so  eminently  characterized 
her  mother  in  former  years,  when  she  occupied  the  same  posi- 
tion, and  possessed  the  same  power.  At  her  instance,  Napo- 
leon permitted  the  dowager  Duchess  of  Bourbon,  and  the 
Duchess  of  Orleans,  to  remain  in  France,  and  even  bestowed 
on  the  former  an  income  of  four  hundred  thousand  francs,  and 
one  of  two  hundred  thousand  on  the  latter. 

At  length,  on  the  swift  wings  of  time,  the  decisive  day  of 
Waterloo  arrived.  On  its  ensanguined  plain  the  vast  empire 
of  Napoleon  fell  prostrate  in  the  dust,  never  to  be  revived 


82  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

again  during  his  own  existence.  Six  days  afterward,  Hor- 
tense  and  her  sons  met  their  fallen  benefactor  at  Malmaison. 
The  ex-queen  did  her  utmost  to  console  and  encourage  him  ; 
she  offered  to  place  her  whole  fortune  at  his  command,  and 
to  share  his  destiny,  whatever  it  might  be.  When  at  last  a 
final  separation  became  necessary,  and  Napoleon  was  com-* 
pelled  to  commence  that  journey,  which  eventually  resulted  in 
placing  him  as  a  prisoner  for  the  rest  of  his  life  in  the  stern 
grasp  of  his  foes,  the  parting  was  most  affecting.  The  young 
Louis,  especially,  — his  future,  though  then  unsuspected  heir, 
—  clung  to  his  uncle,  screamed,  and  refused  to  leave  him. 
He  was  taken  away  at  last  by  main  force  ;  and  as  Napoleon 
was  then  in  possession  of  but  slender  means,  Hortense  in- 
duced him  to  accept  her  diamond  necklace,  worth  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  francs,  which  she  sewed  up  in  a  silk  ribbon,  and 
concealed  in  his  dress.  This  jewel  Napoleon  never  parted 
with  ;  not  even  amid  the  deprivation  and  semi-starvations  of 
St.  Helena  ;  and  by  his  will  he  requested  Montholon  to  re- 
store it  to  Hortense.  The  important  trust  was  faithfully  exe- 
cuted, and  it  was  returned  to  its  generous  donor  in  an  hour 
of  dire  necessity.  In  her  old  age,  Hortense  sold  it  to  the 
King  of  Bavaria  for  the  trifling  annuity  of  twenty-three  thou- 
sand francs ;  which  she  survived  to  enjoy  only  two  years. 

Shortly  after  the  capitulation  of  Paris,  a  strong  current  of 
hostile  public  feeling  arose  against  Napoleon ;  and  Hortense 
and  her  sons,  who  still  remained  in  the  capital,  were  in  con- 
siderable danger.  She  succeeded  in  concealing  them  safely 
in  a  hose  establishment  on  the  Boulevard  Montmartre,  kept 
by  one  of  her  faithful  personal  friends,  Madame  Tessier. 
During  the  second  occupation  of  Paris  by  the  allied  troops, 
her  hotel  in  the  Rue  Cerutti  was  occupied  by  the  Austrian 
Prince  Schwartzenberg  ;  and  she  hoped  that  this  circumstance 
would  increase  her  security.  She  was  mistaken.  She  shared 
the  general  odium  which  now  gathered  around  the  Bonaparte 
family.  Even  the  attachment  and  esteem  of  the  Emperor 
Alexander  seems  to  have  strangely  waned  j  and  he  even  called 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  33 

at  her  hotel  to  see  the  Prince  Schwartzenberg,  without  ever 
inquiring  after  her,  or  showing  her  the  slightest  courtesy. 
Such  are  the  vicissitudes  of  fallen  greatness  ! 

At  length  the  hostility  of  her  enemies  became  so  great, 
that  the  Allies  sent  her  an  order  to  leave  Paris  within  two 
hours.  Accordingly,  on  the  19th  of  July,  1815,  she  passed 
the  barriers  in  the  evening,  under  the  conduct  of  the  Count 
de  Voyna,  aide-de-camp  to  the  Prince  of  Schwartzenberg, 
and  chamberlain  of  the  Austrian  Emperor.  She  spent  the 
first  nia;ht  at  the  Chateau  de  Bercv.  On  her  route  she  met 
with  demonstrations  sometimes  of  popular  hatred,  and  some- 
times of  popular  favor.  At  Dale,  the  multitude  who  crowded 
around  her  carriage,  supposing  that  she  was  being  led  into 
captivity,  were  disposed  to  effect  a  rescue,  and  assail  her  con- 
ductor. They  were  appeased  only  by  assurances  from  Hor- 
tense  herself  that  such  was  not  the  fact. 

The  first  design  of  the  fugitive  and  unfortunate  ex-queen 
was  to  retire  with  her  sons  to  an  estate  which  she  owned  at 
Pregny,  near  Geneva.  As  soon  as  this  purpose  became 
known,  the  French  Minister  in  Switzerland  procured  an 
order  from  the  Swiss  government  prohibiting  her  from  doing 
so.  In  this  emergency  she  directed  her  course  to  Aix,  hoping 
there  to  find  repose  and  protection.  But  here  vexations  of 
another  nature  awaited  her.  She  was  there  met  by  an  order 
from  her  husband,  the  Count  de  Leu,  conveyed  by  the  Baron 
de  Zuite,  to  deliver  to  his  messenger,  their  eldest  son,  Napo- 
leon.1    This  demand  was  based  upon  the  judgment  which 


1  This  Baron  Je  Zuite  is  described  by  an  English  writer,  as  possessing 
a  countenance  indicating  in  the  most  unrnistakeable  manner,  the  exist- 
ence of  every  evil  passion,  and  the  predominance  of  every  detestable 
vice.  At  first,  Hortense  refused  positively  to  entrust  her  son  to  his 
care.  She  induced  him  to  protract  his  stay  by  several  clever  pretexts, 
such  as  that  it  would  be  better  for  him  first  to  form  some  acquaintance 
with  his  charge,  before  his  journey  began.  Duriug  the  interval  thus 
obtained,  the  tutor  whom  Hortense  had  sent  for,  arrived,  and  accom- 
panied her  son,  when  his  departure  at  last  became  inevitable. 

C 


34  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

had  been  rendered  by  the  Parisian  courts  on  the  subject ;  and 
there  was  no  power  which  could  or  would  prevent  the  execu- 
tion of  the  decree.  Accordingly,  Hortense  was  compelled, 
after  many  protestations  and  many  tears,  to  resign  her  eldest 
son  to  the  custody  and  possession  of  his  father.  For  the 
first  time,  the  mother  and  son  were  separated ;  and  the  part- 
ing scene  was  affecting  in  the  extreme.  At  length  the  last 
embraces  were  given,  the  last  adieus  were  uttered ;  and  the 
young  Napoleon  departed  for  Rome  under  the  conduct  of  a 
preceptor  chosen  for  him  by  his  mother,  together  with  his 
father's  confidential  agent. 

Young  Louis  Napoleon  also  felt  this  separation  keenly. 
He  was  then  seven  years  of  age,  and  the  brothers  were  much 
attached  to  each  other.  Napoleon  the  elder,  was  bold,  reso- 
lute, and  determined  in  his  disposition.  Louis  was  taciturn, 
timid,  mild,  yet  intelligent  and  reflective.  The  one  even 
then  was  in  every  sense  a  Frenchman.  The  other  already 
seemed  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  Dutchman.  There  was 
no  rivalry,  because  there  was  no  similarity  between  their 
natures.  They  loved  each  other  ;  and  found  an  appropriate 
and  harmonious  counterpart  in  each  other's  peculiarities. 
The  younger,  especially,  was  much  affected  at  the  loss  of  his 
brother's  animated  and  agreeable  society  ;  and  he  turned 
with  great  tenderness  to  his  mother's  protection. 

But  Hortense  was  not  permitted  long  to  remain  even  at 
Aix.1    The  Sardinian  government  was  disposed  to  sympathize 

1  While  at  Constance,  as  well  as  at  Aix,  Louis  was  in  the  habit  of 
playing  with  all  the  boys  of  the  neighborhood,  among  whom  was  the 
miller's  son.  The  father  of  this  lad  lived  on  the  bridge  which  spanned 
the  Rhine,  close  to  the  house  of  Hortense,  and  the  young  miller,  being 
older  than  Louis,  often  tempted  him  to  go  beyond  the  limits  which  he 
had  been  forbidden  to  exceed.  One  day,  when  he  had  made  his  escape, 
and  the  abbe"  at  the  top  of  his  voice  was  shouting  after  him  to  return, 
Mdlle.  Cochelet,  his  mother's  principal  companion,  observed  him  ap- 
proach, making  a  most  ludicrous  figure.  He  was  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 
and  walking  barefoot  carelessly  through  the  mud  and  snow.  Had  he 
been  able  to  reach  his  own  room  unobserved,  it  would  have  been  all 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  35 

with  her  enemies,  and  it  scrutinized  her  movements  in  the 
most  vexatious  manner,  and  eventually  compelled  her  to 
resume  her  wanderings.  She  concluded  to  repair  to  Constance, 
in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden.  She  thought  she  would  there 
be  protected,  inasmuch  as  the  Grand  Duchess,  Stephanie  de 
Beauharnois,  was  her  cousin.  But  to  reach  this  spot  she  was 
compelled  to  obtain  permission  to  pass  through  Switzerland. 
After  great  difficulty  this  permission  was  obtained,  and  Hor- 
tense,  accompaned  by  her  son  Louis  Napoleon,  his  tutor,  the 
Abbe  Bertrand,  Mademoiselle  Cochelet,  her  reader,  and  a 
servant,  departed  from  Aix.  She  desired  to  pass  the  first 
night  on  her  own  estate  at  Bregny ;  but  even  this  small  boon 
was  denied  her  by  the  French  and  Swiss  authorities.  At 
Morat  she  was  even  put  under  temporary  arrest.  Having 
arrived  at  Constance,  she  was  immediately  informed  that 
however  much  the  grand  duke  and  duchess  might  be  anxious 
to  serve  her,  they  were  under  the  control  of  higher  powers, 
and  therefore  could  afford  her  no  protection.  She  answered 
to  these  representations,  that  her  health  and  the  season  of  the 
year  —  it  was  then  November  —  did  not  permit  her  then  to 
continue  her  journey ;  and  she  desired  to  be  permitted  to 
remain  only  till  the  ensuing  spring. 

At  this  moment  of  gloom  and  despair,  when  thus  appa- 
rently an  outcast  from  every  clime  and  country  in  Europe, 
Hortense  received  a  secret  letter  from  the  grand  duchess,  in 
which,  after  having  given  her  encouragement,  she  added  : 
"  Have  patience,  and  do  not  be  uneasy  ;  perhaps  all  will  be 
right  by  spring.  By  that  time  passions  will  have  calmed,  and 
many  things  will  have  been  forgotten."     Comforted  by  these 

yery  well ;  but  he  was  put  considerably  out  of  countenance  by  being 
found  in  such  a  condition  in  the  street.  Upon  being  questioned  how  he 
came  to  be  in  that  plight,  he  explained  how,  while  playing  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  garden,  he  had  seen  a  family  go  by,  so  poor  and  miserable 
that  it  was  quite  painful  to  look  at  them.  He  therefore  took  off  his 
shoes,  and  put  them  on  the  feet  of  one  of  the  children,  and  gave  his 
coat  to  another,  because,  as  he  said,  he  happened  to  have  no  money  to 
give  them. 


36  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

words,  Hortense  rented  a  modest  mansion  on  the  beautiful 
shore  of  the  lake  of  Constance,  and  resumed  her  usual  habits 
of  life.  There  she  remained  during  the  year  1816.  Her 
drooping  spirits  again  revived.  She  was  visited  by  many 
illustrious  personages  in  her  obscure  retirement.  Here  she 
enjoyed  for  a  time  the  society  of  her  brother  Eugene.  The 
Austrian  prime-minister,  Prince  Metternich,  offered  her  a 
more  agreeable  residence  at  Bregentz  on  the  same  lake,  which, 
however  she  declined.  Her  health  became  restored,  and  she 
again  resembled  the  graceful,  accomplished,  and  attractive 
woman  who  had  once  shone  as  one  of  the  brightest  ornaments 
of  the  brilliaut  court  of  St.  Cloud.  She  indulged  in  her  usual 
amusements  ;  and,  inspired  by  the  romantic  scenery  which  sur- 
rounded her,  she  gratified  her  taste  for  literary  and  musical 
composition.  It  was  here  that  she  composed,  among  many 
other  songs  of  great  taste  and  beauty,  the  celebrated  national 
French  air,  Partanl  pour  la  Syrie,  which  to  this  day  remains, 
after  the  celebrated  Marseilles  Hymn,  the  nation's  favorite. 

In  the  following  spring,  Hortense  and  her  son  visited  Prince 
Eugene  at  Berg,  a  country  seat  of  his  father-in-law,  the  King 
of  Bavaria,  where  she  was  received  with  the  respect  and 
affection  which  were  due  her.  She  passed  the  summer  with 
her  son  at  the  baths  of  Geiss,  among  the  mountains  of  Appen- 
zell,  and  derived  great  benefit  from  their  medicinal  qualities. 
In  the  fall  of  1816  she  returned  to  Constance,  and  here  devoted 
the  whole  of  her  attention  to  the  education  of  her  son.  She 
herself  taught  him  drawing  and  dancing.  On  each  Saturday 
she  spent  the  whole  day  in  reviewing  the  studies  of  the  week, 
and  marking  and  commending  his  progress.  At  this  period 
Louis  was  not  remarkable  for  intellectual  improvement.  His 
physical  development  seemed  now  to  predominate,  and  he  be- 
came restless,  active,  and  almost  ungovernable.  The  gentle 
cares  of  the  Abbe  Bertrand  were  now  useless,  and  Hortense 
provided  for  him  another  and  more  resolute  tutor,  M.  Lebos, 
from  the  Normal  School  at  Paris.  Yet,  at  this  period,  the 
developing  impulses  of  his  nature  were  generous,  noble,  and 


OF     NAPOLEON    III.  37 

manly,  and  gave  promise  of  a  more  vigorous  and  active  man- 
hood than  his  more  youthful  years  appeared  to  have  prognos- 
ticated. His  active  habits  served  to  develop  his  physical 
energies.  His  features  gained  in  expressiveness  what  they 
lost  in  regularity.  They  lost  something  of  the  beauty  of  his 
supposed  father,  the  Dutch  nobleman,  but  they  displayed 
more  of  the  intelligence  of  Hortense. 

Thus  the  life  of  the  persecuted  ex-queen  was  flowing  for  a 
brief  interval  tranquilly  along,  when  once  more,  in  the  be- 
ginning of  18H,  the  hostility  of  her  enemies  drove  her  and 
her  son  from  their  chosen  retreat.  The  Grand  Duke  of  Baden 
received  orders  from  the  Allies  to  send  her  out  of  his  dominions. 
Her  thoughts  now  recurred  to  the  generous  treatment  which 
she  had  received  in  the  neighboring  district  of  Thurgovia ; 
and  in  her  rides  through  this  canton  she  had  often  admired 
the  picturesque  beauty  of  an  estate  and  manor  known  by  the 
name  of  Arenemberg.  She  now  proposed  to  purchase  it,  and 
to  obtain  permission  from  the  authorities  of  the  canton  ta 
reside  there.  She  was  successful  in  both  applications.  Are- 
nemberg became  her  home,  at  the  cost  of  sixty  thousand 
francs.  There  she  spent  many  happy  years,  and  there  at  last 
she  died. 

In  1818  a  partial  reconciliation  happily  took  place  between 
Hortense  and  her  husband,  and  the  latter  permitted  her  to 
enjoy  the  society  of  her  eldest  son  for  several  months.  After 
an  absence  of  three  years  the  brothers  again  met.  Louis 
Napoleon  was  now  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  had  finished 
his  studies  in  the  college  of  Augsburg.  In  1824  Prince 
Eugene  died,  and  in  1825  his  father-in-law,  the  best  surviving 
friend  of  Hortense,  King  Maximilian,  of  Bavaria,  followed 
him  to  the  grave.  It  was  after  these  sad  events  that  she 
determined  to  divide  her  time  between  Arenemberg  and 
Home,  the  residence  of  her  husband.  The  winters  she  spent 
in  the  capital  of  the  Christian  world ;  the  summers  were 
passed  at  her  delightful  retreat  in  Switzerland.  At  Rome 
she  became  the  centre  of  the  most  brilliant  society,  for  there 
4 


38  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

she  was  surrounded  not  only  by  the  polished  and  illustrious 
princes  of  the  church,  but  she  also  met  her  accomplished  and 
fascinating  relative,  Pauline  Bonaparte,  who  had  married  the 
Prince  Borghese.  Hortense  resided  with  this  lady  at  her 
Yilla  Paolina,  where  she  was  constantly  addressed  with 
the  title,  and  served  with  the  ceremonial,  of  loyalty.  Her 
chief  wealth,  and  her  most  precious  relics,  were  collected  to- 
gether at  Arenemberg.  It  was  here  that  she  cherished  and 
preserved,  among  many  other  sad  and  affecting  souvenirs  of 
those  unparalleled  days  of  glory,  felicity,  and  splendor  which 
had  forever  passed  away,  the  beautiful  miniature  of  the  King 
of  Rome,  which,  on  the  bleak  and  rocky  summit  of  St.  Helena, 
had  received  the  last  kiss  of  the  expiring  Emperor.1 

At  this  period  Louis  Napoleon  commenced  his  military 
studies  and  exercises,  in  connection  with  a  Baden  regiment 
garrisoned  in  Constance.  He  now  also  devoted  his  attention 
to  the  study  of  physics  and  chemistry,  under  the  direction  of 
a  learned  Frenchman  named  Giestard.  He  was  afterward 
admitted  into  the  camp  of  Thun,  in  the  canton  of  Berne, 
where  he  studied  engineering  and  artillery-practice  under 
Colonel  Dufour,  an  old  hero  of  the  Grand  Armee.  His  per- 
sonal activity  and  martial  bearing  made  the  young  pi'ince  a 
great  favorite  in  the  camp.  He  excelled  in  all  martial 
exercises  and  manoeuvres.  He  seemed  to  be  fond  of  fatigue, 
and  became  particularly  partial  to  artillery  practice  and 
science.  When  the  imbecile  Bourbons  fell,  in  the  revolution 
of  July,  1830,  Louis  Napoleon  cherished  the  enthusiastic 
hope  that  he  might  at  last  be  permitted  to  return  to  his  native 
land.  In  this  expectation  he  was  disappointed  ;  although 
Louis  Philippe  sent  to  Hortense  assurances  of  his  esteem  and 
protection  ;  and  intimated  to  her  that  the  future  might  per- 
haps enable  him  to  gratify  his  wishes  towards  her  more 
effectually  than  the  existing  posture  of  affairs  then  permitted. 

1  Vide  Memoires  sur  la  Reine  Hortense  et  la  Famille  Imperial  par  M'lle. 
Cochelet,  Lectrice  de  la  Reine  (Mad.  Parquin),  Vol.  III.,  p    162. 


or    NAPOLEON    III.  39 


CHAPTER   II. 

Outbreak  of  the  Revolution  in  Italy  —  Secret  Conclave  of  the  Bona- 
partes  in  Rome  —  Louis  Napoleon  commanded  to  withdraw  from  the 
Papal  Capital — He  joins  the  Revolutionists  —  Death  of  his  elder 
brother  at  Faenza — His  own  Sickness — His  arrival  at  Paris  with  his 
Mother — Their  reception  by  Louis  Philippe  —  Compelled  to  retire  to 
England — Their  removal  to  Arenemberg  in  Switzerland — The  Polish 
Revolution — Death  of  the  Duke  of  Reichstadt — Louis  Napoleon  com- 
plimented by  the  Polish  Refugees — His  private  studies  at  Arenem- 
berg— Publishes  his  Reveries  Folitiques — Nature  and  Contents  of  this 
Work  —  He  Publishes  his  Consideraliones  Politique*  et  Militaires  sur  la 
Suisse  —  Character  of  this  Work — Compliments  of  the  Helvetic  Diet 
—Louis  Napoleon  invited  to  marry  the  Queen  of  Portugal — His  rea- 
sons for  refusing  to  do  so. 

The  revolution  of  1830  in  France  rekindled  tbe  fierce 
flames  of  popular  discontent  in  Italy.  The  tyranny  of  Aus- 
tria was  then,  as  it  is  now,  both  a  curse  and  a  disgrace  to  the 
laud  of  the  ancient  conquerors  of  the  world ;  and  there  were 
not  wanting  men  among  their  degenerate  descendants,  who 
possessed  the  courage  to  strike  a  deadly  blow  at  the  despot's 
power. 

Louis  Napoleon  spent  the  winter  of  1830  in  Rome  with 
his  mother.  He  was  surrounded  by  revolutionary  influences 
and  elements,  and  became  imbued  with  their  spirit.  He 
identified  himself  with  the  principles  and  measures  of  the 
patriots.  Excluded  by  the  jealousy  and  caution  of  Louis 
Philippe  from  taking  any  share,  however  humble,  in  the 
movements  which  were  progressing  in  his  native  country,  he 
turned  with  greater  sympathy  to  the  similar  revolutionary  and 
popular  changes  which  were  taking  place  in  Italy.  He 
became  the  object  of  much  interest  to  the  progressive  party  ; 
and  this  circumstance  excited  at  once  the  distrust  of  the 
Papal  government.  Another  incident  served  to  increase  the 
suspicion  with  which  he  was  now  regarded.     In  December, 


40  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

1830,  a  portion  of  tbe  Bonaparte  family  had  held  a  secret 
conclave  at  Rome.  It  was  composed  of  Madame  Letitia, 
the  mother  of  the  ex-Emperor,  Cardinal  Fesch,  Jerome  Bo- 
naparte, Hortense,  and  her  two  sons,  the  elder  of  whom, 
having  married  his  cousin,  the  second  daughter  of  Joseph 
Bonaparte,  resided  at  Florence.  It  could  not  be  doubted 
that  the  object  of  this  secret  assemblage  of  the  fallen  dynasty 
bore  some  reference  to  the  political  events  which  were  then 
transpiring.  The  Papal  government  immediately  requested, 
through  Cardinal  Fesch,  that  Louis  Napoleon  should  with- 
draw from  Rome.  The  request  was  not  complied  with.  The 
government  then  sent  a  guard  of  fifty  men  to  the  residence 
of  the  prince,  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  him  by  force  to 
the  frontiers.  He  escaped  their  grasp,  and  fled  to  Florence. 
Scarcely  had  he  disappeared  when  the  insurrection  of  the 
Romagna  burst  forth.  The  main  object  of  this  movement 
was  to  overthrow  the  detested  power  of  Austria  in  Italy,  and 
to  restore  the  national  unity  so  long  dissevered  and  broken. 
Louis  Napoleon  and  his  elder  brother  entered  with  enthusiasm 
into  this  movement.  Tri-colored  flags  waved  above  the  bat- 
tlements of  Ferrara,  Urbino,  and  several  other  Italian  cities. 
Louis  Napoleon  was  active  in  forming  moving  columns,  and 
in  organizing  the  revolutionary  efforts.  Nor  were  the  endea- 
vors of  the  insurgents  fruitless  of  results.  They  defeated  the 
Papal  troops  on  several  occasions ;  and  high  hopes  began  to 
be  entertained  that  something  might  yet  be  won  for  Italian 
liberty.  The  "Vatican  was  filled  with  terror,  and  the  worst 
consequences  were  apprehended.  At  this  crisis,  Hortense 
was  constrained  to  leave  Rome  and  repair  to  Florence,  the 
head-quarters  of  her  sons,  whose  influence  among  the  revo- 
lutionists, young  as  they  were,  was  almost  unbounded.  Hor- 
tense herself  was  not  opposed  to  the  share  which  her  sons 
took  in  these  transactions  ;  but  her  husband,  Cardinal  Fesch, 
and  Jerome  Bonaparte,  were  highly  incensed  at  it,  and 
demanded  of  them  that  they  should  abandon  a  career  which 
they  deemed  pregnant  with  the  most  injurious  consequences, 
not  only  to  themselves,  but  to  the  whole  family.     Their  re 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  41 

presentations  were  useless,  and  the  brothers  remained  un- 
moved. They  took  part  in  an  action  fought  at  Bologna 
between  the  Papal  troops  and  the  insurgents,  and  highly  dis- 
tinguished themselves  by  their  intrepidity.  But  the  Austrians 
came  to  the  relief  of  the  government  forces,  and  the  insur- 
gents were  at  length  compelled  to  retire  to  Forli.  As  is 
usually  the  case,  treachery,  more  fatal  than  the  Austrian 
bayonets,  infected  the  camp.  The  two  princes  were  deprived 
of  their  commands,  and  disunion  began  to  prevail.  The  ul- 
timate result  was,  that  the  revolution  became  a  total  failure, 
and  the  chief  care  of  those  who  had  participated  in  it  was  to 
escape,  if  possible,  the  grasp  of  the  offended  and  terrified, 
but  now  triumphant  authorities.1 

1  It  is  very  clear  that  the  presence  of  the  young  Napoleon  was  looked 
upon  by  the  Papal  government  as  the  chief  support  of  the  insurrection. 
Jerome  saw  the  Pope,  a  consultation  was  held,  and  an  officer.  M.  de 
Stoelting,  was  despatched  to  the  republican  camp,  authorized  by  His 
Holiness  to  enter  into  a  parley  with  the  insurgents,  to  inquire  what 
they  wanted,  and  to  promise  compliance  with  their  wishes.  Stoelting 
saw  the  elder  Prince  Napoleon,  and  desired  him  to  draw  up  a  statement 
of  the  demands  and  complaints  of  the  army.  He  consulted  its  chiefs, 
and  with  their  authority  delivered  to  the  Pope's  envoy  a  summary  of 
the  reforms  for  which  the  people  asked. 

Whatever  may  have  been  their  secret  intentions,  it  seems  probable 
that  the  pertinacious  interference  of  the  effete  and  timid  members  of 
the  Bonaparte  family  at  length  produced  its  effect.  The  provisional 
government  of  Bologna  was  seized  with  timidity,  and  refused  to  attempt 
the  storming  of  Rome.  It  then  dispatched  General  Sercognani  with 
fresh  troops,  to  replace  the  young  Napoleons. 

During  the  progress  of  this  revolution,  the  father  of  the  j'oung 
princes  behaved  with  singular  folly  and  absurdity.  He  compelled 
Hortense  to  write  to  General  Armandi,  who  commanded  the  revolu- 
tionists, and  who  had  been  the  tutor  of  the  elder  of  the  young  men,  re- 
questing him  to  dismiss  them  from  the  camp.  He  refused  to  send  his 
eons  any  assistance,  not  even  the  money  necessary  for  their  comfort 
and  equipment.  His  narrow  policy  may  be  said  to  have  caused  the 
misery  of  both,  and  perhaps  the  death  of  one  of  them.  He  also  wrote 
to  them  in  person,  desiring  them  instautly  to  abandon  the  revolutionary 
standard. 
4* 


42  PUBLIC     AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Other  and  greater  misfortunes  now  overwhelmed  the  un- 
happy Hortense  and  her  sons.     The  elder  of  them,  when  on 
the  retreat  to  Forli,  was  attacked  with  the  small-pox,  or  as 
others  have  asserted,  by  an  internal  inflammation  of  some 
kind,  and  expired  on  the  27th   of  March,  1831,  at  Faenza. 
Hortense  had  received  information  of  his  illness,  and  she  im- 
mediately started  from  Florence  to  his  relief.     She  arrived 
too  late,  and  the  young  Napoleon  expired  in  the  arms  of  his 
brother.     The  latter  was  himself  attacked  with  the  small-pox 
at  Ancona.     The  care  of  his  mother,  who  reached  him  when 
in  rapid  retreat  at  Pesaro,  rescued  him  from  the  fate  of  his 
brother.     On  leaving  Florence  she  had  provided  a  passport, 
under  the  name  of  an  English  lady  travelling  with  her  two 
sons.      She  still  used  this  passport,  and  represented  one  of 
the   young   insurgent    chiefs,    the    Marquis   Zappi,    as   her 
son.     The  Austrians  had  set  a  price  upon  the  head  of  the 
surviving  Napoleon.     Strict  search  was  made  for  him,  but  in 
vain.     A  report  prevailed  that  he  had  escaped  in  a  small 
vessel  to  Malta,  and  this  delusion  served  to  relax  the  severity 
of  the  efforts  made  to  capture  him.     Thus  favored  by  for- 
tune, Hortense  and  her  son  succeeded  in  evading  the  Aus- 
trian troops,  embarked  in  a  vessel  for  Cannes,  and  safely  ar- 
rived at  that  port ;  the  same  which  sixteen  years  before  had 
witnessed  the  bold  and  desperate  return  of  the  great  Napo- 
leon from  Elba.     They  resolved  to  travel  directly  to  Paris, 
and  throw  themselves  upon  the  generosity  of  Louis  Philippe. 

Having  arrived,  at  length,  at  Paris,  the  first  act  of  Louis 
Napoleon  was  to  address  a  respectful  letter  to  the  king,  ask- 
ing permission  to  enter  the  French  army  as  a  private  soldier. 
This  step  Hortense,  less  enthusiastic  than  her  son,  did  not 
approve.  She  took  up  her  residence  at  the  hotel  de  Holland, 
and  immediately  informed  Louis  Philippe  of  her  arrival.  It  is 
said  that  her  letter  communicating  this  fact  arrived  at  the  palace 
just  as  Sebastiani,  the  sagacious  minister  of  the  king  for  Foreign 
Affairs,  informed  the  Council  that  she  had  landed  at  Malta. 
Louis  Philippe  sent  Casimir  Perin,  the  President  of  the  Coun- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  43 

cil,  to  wait  upon  her.  She  excused  herself  for  violating  the 
law  which  banished  the  family  of  Napoleon  from  the  French 
territory,  and  confidently  claimed  the  mercy  of  the  sovereign. 
Louis  Philippe  granted  her  an  audience,  during  which  he 
said  to  her:  "  I  know  what  exile  is,  and  it  is  not  my  fault, 
if  yours  has  not  already  terminated."  She  was  also  per- 
mitted to  see  the  queen  and  Madame  Adelaide,  the  king's 
sister.  Her  presence  in  Paris  was  still  a  secret  to  the  public, 
when  the  5th  of  May  arrived,  the  anniversary  of  the  Emperor- 
Napoleon's  death.  On  that  day  the  Parisians  were  in  the  habit 
of  covering  the  base  of  the  column  in  the  Place  Vendome  with 
evergreens  ;  which,  therefore,  seemed  dedicated  to  the  memory 
of  Napoleon.  Hortense  and  her  son  had  now  been  twelve 
days  in  Paris,  and  by  this  time  the  news  became  known  that 
they  were  present.  The  multitude  who  surrounded  the  trium- 
phal column  rushed,  as  if  by  a  common  impulse,  to  the  hotel 
where  the  ex-queen  and  the  prince  were  sojourning,  and  filled 
the  air  with  their  shouts.  Marshal  Lobau,  commander  of 
the  National  Guards,  dispersed  them  by  the  novel  means  of 
fire-engines,  which  effectually  quenched  the  intensity  of  their 
enthusiasm  by  immense  discharges  of  water  instead  of  grape- 
shot. 

But  this  incident,  though  it  terminated  so  comically,  un- 
happily excited  the  fears  and  jealousy  of  the  king.  Hortense 
was  given  to  understand  that  she  could  not  longer  remain  in 
the  French  territories.  Accordingly,  she  once  more  resumed 
her  pilgrimage,  and  on  the  10th  of  May  embarked,  at  Calais, 
for  England.1      Her  son  accompanied  her,  for  he  too  had 

1  A  dny  or  two  before  her  departure  from  Paris,  Hortense  had  attended 
mass  at  the  church  of  St.  Roche,  in  the  rue  St.  Honore\  where  by  acci- 
dent she  sat  next  to  M.  Lamartine,  who  was  pointed  out  to  her  by  the 
Marchese  Zappi.  She  had  always  admired  Lamartine's  writings,  and 
now  she  extended  her  admiration  to  the  man.  What  would  she  have 
said  could  she  have  foreseen  that  he  would  one  day  be  her  son's  com- 
petitor for  the  presidentship  of  the  French  Republic;  that  the  admission 
of  the  Bonaparte  family  into  France  would  be  in  part  owing  to  his  re- 


44  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

become  personally  obnoxious  to  the  reigning  family.  He  had 
uttered  sentiments,  in  the  letter  which  he  had  addressed  to 
the  king,  which  indicated  a  superior  degree  of  intelligence  and 
determination, — acknowledging  the  right  of  Louis  Philippe 
as  the  representative  of  a  great  nation,  to  occupy  the  throne 
to  which  they  had  invited  him.  He  was  too  aspiring,  and 
too  dangerous,  to  be  permitted  to  remain  in  France. 

In  England,  and  especially  at  Woburn  Abbey,  the  seat  of 
the  Duke  of  Bedford,  the  ex-queen  and  her  son  were  treated 
with  great  consideration.  They  were  honored  by  men  of  all 
parties  and  factions.  The  adroit  Talleyrand  did  his  utmost 
to  worm  himself  into  the  intended  aims  and  purposes  of  Hor- 
tense,  but  her  self-possession  and  her  superior  sagacity  com- 
pletely foiled  him.  While,  perhaps,  herself  uncertain  what 
course  to  take,  the  authorities  of  the  canton  of  Thurgovia 
presented  her  son  with  the  rights  of  citizenship.  This  was 
the  district  in  which  her  estate  of  Arenemberg  was  situated. 
The  document  which  conferred  upon  the  young  prince  this 
honor  recited  how  the  canton  was  under  great  obligations  to 
the  duchess  of  St.  Leu  for  many  favors  ;  and  that  the  said 
honor  was  bestowed  in  consideration  of  those  favors.  It 
bore  date  the  30th  of  April,  1832.  To  this  grateful  testimo- 
nial of  esteem  the  prince  replied  in  appropriate  terras.  He 
thanked  them  for  the  honor  of  being  made  "the  citizen  of  a 
free  nation,"  expressed  the  pleasure  which  his  mother  derived 
from  their  courtesy,  and  tendered  his  best  wishes  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  canton.  He  also  sent  them,  as  further  testi- 
monials of  his  esteem,  two  six-pounders,  with  complete  trains 
and  equipage ;  and  he  also  founded  a  free  school  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Sallenstein.     In  consequence  of  the  state  of  kindly 

missness;  and  that  he  would  have  to  repent  in  sackcloth  and  ashe3 
all  the  days  of  his  life  for  this  act  of  negligence  and  weakness? 

On  the  6th  of  May  they  left  Paris,  and  proceeded  to  Chantilly.  In 
four  days  they  reached  Calais,  crossed  the  Channel,  and  were  on  their 
Way  to  London.  Here  Louis  Napoleon  was  attacked  by  the  jaundice, 
and  looked  as  yellow  as  a  guinea. 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  45 

feeling  expressed  by  the  Swiss  toward  her  and  her  son,  Hor- 
tense  now  determined  to  take  up  her  permanent  residence  at 
Arenemberg.  She  proposed  to  pass  through  Belgium  and 
Brussels  ;  but  this  was  forbidden  her,  as  her  presence  in  the 
Belgian  capital,  with  her  son,  might  lead  to  serious  conse- 
quences. The  Belgians  might,  perhaps,  elect  the  prince  to 
their  then  vacant  throne,  and  results  of  the  most  important 
nature  might  ensue.  The  whole  corps  diplomatique  in  Lon- 
don assembled  together,  and  the  most  earnest  representations 
were  made  against  granting  her  a  passport  through  France. 
At  length,  in  August,  Hortense  left  England,  and  landed  at 
Calais  with  her  son.  Avoiding  Paris  and  Brussels,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  requisitions  of  Louis  Philippe,  she  visited 
the  tomb  of  her  mother,  Josephine,  at  Ruel,  passed  through 
Chantilly  and  other  cherished  and  familiar  places,  and  finally 
reached  Arenemberg  in  safety.1 

On  his  return  to  Switzerland  Louis  Napoleon  was  honored 
by  a  deputation  of  Poles  sent  from  Warsaw,  who  proposed 
to  place  him  at  the  head  of  their  revolutionary  movements, 


1  On  arriving  at  Chantilly,  she  visited  the  palace  of  the  Conde's 
and  the  magnificent  forest  which,  during  the  era  of  the  Empire,  had 
been  her  own  private  property.  It  was  extremely  natural  that  Hortense 
should  wish  to  know  whether  or  not  she  was  still  remembered  in  the  re- 
gion where  she  had  once  been  so  powerful.  She  inquired  of  the  man  who 
conducted  them  through  Chantilly  and  its  vicinity,  to  whom  those  woods 
formerly  belonged.  He  replied,  to  Queen  Hortense,  and  added,  that  for 
many  years  she  was  supposed  to  roam  about  the  forest  in  disguise,  but 
that  for  some  time  people  had  ceased  to  talk  of  her.  "Ah!  without 
doubt,  she  is  dead,"  replied  the  queen;  and  the  idea  pleased  her  —  find- 
ing that  she  was  forgotten  by  the  world. 

After  wandering  about,  reviving  sad  reminiscences  at  every  step, 
Hortense  and  her  son  proceeded  to  St.  Denis,  and  afterwards  through 
a  number  of  other  places,  in  many,  if  not  in  most,  of  which  she  had  seen 
happier  days.  In  company  with  his  mother  Louis  Napoleon  visited 
Ennenonville  and  Morfontaine,  where  she  had  once  resided  with  her 
mother  Josephine.  A  rickety  old  boat  took  them  over,  at  Ermenon- 
ville,  to  the  Isle  of  Popiars,  consecrated  to  the  memory  of  Rousseau, 
where  she  and  her  son  inscribed  their  names  upon  his  tomb. 


46  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

with  an  ultimate  prospect  of  the  possession  of  the  throne  of 
the  Jagellons.  The  young  prince  was  at  this  time  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  The  letter  which  the  deputation  bore  was 
signed  by  many  of  the  most  distinguished  patriots  of  the 
nation,  including  General  Kniazewicz,  and  Count  Plater. 
The  prince  enthusiastically  accepted  the  high  mission  ;  and 
fearing  the  more  cautious  opposition  of  his  mother,  he  left 
Arenemberg  without  her  knowledge  or  permission,  and  started 
for  the  Polish  frontier.  But,  happily  for  his  future  destiny, 
ere  he  had  progressed  far  upon  his  journey  the  news  of  the 
fall  of  Warsaw  on  the  1th  of  September,  put  an  end  to  hia 
progress  and  restored  him  to  his  home. 

When  the  melancholy  death  of  the  Duke  of  Reichstadt 
took  place  at  Vienna,  in  July,  1832,  the  importance  of  Louis 
Napoleon  in  the  great  system  of  European  politics  became 
immensely  magnified.  He  became  thenceforth  the  direct  and 
recognized  heir  of  the  Napoleonic  dynasty.  The  thoughtful 
solicitude  of  all  the  sovereigns  of  Europe  now  clustered  around 
the  obscure  estate  and  manor  of  Arenemberg.  It  is  well 
known  that  Talleyrand,  on  behalf  of  Louis  Philippe,  sent  a 
secret  emissary  to  reside  permanently  near  Arenemberg,  for 
the  purpose  of  watching  the  movements  of  the  prince.  The 
castle  was  secretly  surrounded  by  invisible  but  vigilant  agents 
of  many  anxious  and  uneasy  kings,  who  intently  yet  unobtru- 
sively scrutinized  his  conduct.  But  their  labors  led  to  no 
satisfactory  results.  The  truth  was  that  the  prince  now  led 
a  retired  life,  engaged  in  literary  pursuits.  He  did  not  forget 
that  he  was  the  direct  heir  of  the  claims  of  the  great  Napo- 
leon, inasmuch  as  Joseph  Bonaparte  had  no  male  children, 
and  Lucien  Bonaparte  and  his  family  had  been  expressly  ex- 
cluded from  the  succession  by  the  will  of  the  Emperor  himself, 
and  by  the  provisions  of  the  Plebiscite ;  but  Louis  Napoleon 
felt  convinced  that  the  time  of  action  had  not  yet  arrived.  It 
would  have  been  well  for  his  fame  and  fortune  had  he  enter- 
tained the  same  opinion  on  several  important  occasions  of 
his  subsequent  career.     Although  his  thoughts  at  this  period 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  4"\ 

were  chiefly  engaged  in  studious  labors,  he  was  not  forgotten 
by  the  chivalrous  people  who  had  once  invited  him  to  ascend 
their  vacant  throne.  He  was  constantly  visited  by  crowds  of 
Polish  refugees,  and  his  purse  was  always  open  to  relieve 
their  necessities.  He  sent  to  the  Polish  committee  at  Berne 
a  beautiful  and  valuable  casket,  which  Napoleon  himself  had 
once  possessed,  in  order  that  a  lottery  might  be  organized  to 
relieve  the  wants  of  many  of  the  exiles.  He  received  in 
return  the  following  expressive  reply  :  "  Five  hundred  Polish 
refugees,  grateful  for  his  generous  solicitude,  have  the  honor 
to  present  their  sentiments  of  the  most  profound  regard  to 
the  illustrious  descendant  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  August 
6th,  1833." 

Nor  were  the  various  studies  in  which  Louis  Napoleon  had 
already  engaged  fruitless  in  cultivating  his  intellectual  powers, 
in  storing  his  mind  with  valuable  knowledge,  and  in  enabling 
him  to  systematize  and  settle  his  own  views  on  the  great 
themes  which  appertain  to  the  science  of  government.  He 
now  employed  his  leisure  in  the  composition  of  his  "Reveries 
Politiques,"  which  work  was  published  in  1832.  This  pro- 
duction, emanating  from  a  young  man  of  twenty-four  yearg 
of  age,  indicates  more  than  ordinary  ability.  It  displays  an 
originality  of  thought  and  powers  of  generalization  which 
very  much  exceed  the  usual  range  of  juvenile  capacity.  Tin 
author  clearly  describes  and  characterizes  the  several  formj 
of  government  which  had  successively  prevailed  in  France, 
and  the  relation  which  they  severally  bore  to  the  development 
of  liberty.  He  very  truly  says  of  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe, 
that  while  it  indicated  the  sovereignty  of  the  people,  and 
promoted  the  reign  of  merit,  its  passions  were  fear,  egotism, 
and  meanness.  The  whole  reign  of  Louis  Philippe  was  over- 
shadowed and  tarnished  by  a  craven  fear  of  the  powers  and 
movements  of  the  people  ;  by  a  constant  endeavor  to  magnify 
and  glorify  the  Orleans  dynasty  in  every  possible  way  ;  and 
by  despicable  and  greedy  avarice  of  money,  of  dignities,  of 
alliances,  and  of  emoluments. 


48  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

In  this  work,  Louis  Napoleon  also  asserts  very  positively 
the  great  ideas  which  he  has  since  endeavored  to  realize  in 
his  own  administration.  "A  day  will  come,"  says  he,  "when 
virtue  shall  triumph  over  intrigue,  when  merit  shall  have  more 
power  than  prejudice,  when  glory  shall  crown  liberty."  He 
declares  that  this  noble  end  can  only  be  accomplished  by 
uniting  the  two  popular  causes,  that  of  the  people,  with  that 
of  him  who  came  forth  from  among  the  people  and  ascended 
to  unparalleled  heights  of  power  and  glory  through  their 
means, — the  Emperor  Napoleon.  He  contends  that  with  this 
great  name  the  people  never  associate  the  ideas  of  terror,  of 
imbecility,  or  of  insecurity ;  and  he  urges  on  the  French 
nation  their  obligation  to  be  grateful  to  hira  who,  springing 
from  the  ranks  of  the  people,  did  everything  for  them  and 
through  them.  He  asserts  that  if  they  ever  become  free,  it 
is  to  Napoleon  —  his  genius,  his  imperishable  spirit,  and  his 
undying  glory  that  they  will  owe  it.  "  Do  not  reproach  him 
for  his  dictatorship,  his  despotism,  if  you  will,"  says  he. 
"  The  Emperor  was  leading  us  to  liberty,  as  the  ploughshare 
cuts  the  furrows  to  prepare  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  Equality 
before  the  laws,  the  superiority  of  merit,  the  prosperity  of 
commerce  aud  industry,  and  the  emancipation  of  nations, — 
these  are  the  glorious  consummations  to  which  he  was  con- 
ducting us. "  Many  sentiments  are  uttered  in  this  book,  which, 
though  possessing  neither  originality  nor  intellectual  merit,  are 
yet  important,  as  having  been  declared  by  the  man  who  after- 
ward ascended  to  such  a  brilliant  eminence.  Thus  he  asserts 
that  the  first  wants  of  a  country  are  liberty,  stability,  the 
supremacy  of  merit,  and  the  general  diffusion  of  physical 
comfort  among  the  people  ;  that  the  best  government  is  that 
in  which  every  abuse  of  power  can  always  be  corrected  ;  and 
where  the  head  of  the  government  can  be  changed  at  any 
time  without  social  disorder,  and  without  the  effusion  of 
blood.  How  widely  Louis  Napoleon  has  himself  wandered 
from  these  admirable  principles,  in  the  later  and  more  decisive 
events  of  his  career  every  intelligent  reader  can  readily  judge. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  49 

Unhappily  some  of  these  Reveries  Politiques  remain  to  this 
day  a  silent,  yet  potent  reproof  of  the  monarchical  and  despotic 
tendencies  of  their  author.  Yet  it  is  not  probable  nor  pos^ 
sible  that  he  intended  to  execute  all  of  them,  should  he 
ever  attain  to  the  possession  of  power.  They  accomplished 
the  purpose  for  which  theyv  were  written  ;  which  evidently 
was  to  win  the  confidence  of  the  French  nation,  to  indicate 
that  he  was  employing  his  leisure  in  intellectual  pursuits,  and 
to  prove  to  the  world  that  he  possessed  the  power  and  capacity 
to  write  and  think. 

The  same  work  contains  the  project  of  a  Constitution,  in 
which  some  remarkable  ideas  are  set  forth.  Its  fundamental 
principle  is  universal  suffrage.  It  contains  a  declaration  of 
the  rights  of  man,  which  reiterates  the  same  great  doctrines 
which  were  put  forth  in  the  declaration  proclaimed  in  1789, 
when  the  billows  of  the  first  great  revolution  began  to  surge 
and  roll  over  France.  The  legislative  power  was  to  be 
delegated  to  two  assemblies,  the  Tribunate  and  the  Senate. 
The  imperial  dignity  was  to  be  hereditary  ;  although  at  each 
new  accession  to  the  throne,  the  sanction  of  the  people,  and 
their  free  approbation,  were  to  be  essential  to  the  validity  of 
the  claim  to  the  possession  of  the  supreme  power.  The  author 
asserts,  also,  that  harmony  between  the  governor  and  the 
governed  can  only  be  maintained  by  one  of  two  means,  either 
where  the  people  allow  themselves  to  be  ruled  by  the  absolute 
will  of  one  ;  or  where  the  sovereign  rules  according  to  the 
will  of  all.  The  utter  absurdity  of  the  latter  proposition 
must  strike  every  reflecting  mind  ;  for  where  the  will  of  the 
nation  becomes  the  absolute  guide  of  the  ruler,  he  cannot  be 
said,  in  any  sense,  to  rule  ;  but  he  is  in  reality  the  servant  and 
slave  of  the  popular  behest,  which  thus  becomes  the  supreme 
and  despotic  master  in  the  State.  The  professed  aim  of  this 
Constitution  was  to  suggest  the  means  of  securing  internal 
order  and  liberty  by  the  strengthening  of  authority.  Its  real 
effect  would  have  been,  as  it  actually  has  become  in  its  present 
developed  and  realized  state,  to  establish  order  and  to 
5  d 


50  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

strengthen  despotism,  by  the  curtailment  and  suppression  of 
liberty ;  for  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  Constitution  pro- 
posed by  Louis  Napoleon,  in  1832,  has  been  retained  by  him 
in  its  leading  ideas  through  all  his  subsequent  career,  until  it 
became  in  a  great  measure  realized  by  the  memorable  events 
of  1852.  He  deserves  the  merit  of  consistency;  for  those 
provisions  of  this  constitution  which  promote  liberty,  he 
obeyed  and  realized  during  the  earlier  and  more  dependent 
period  of  his  career  ;  those  which  commend  despotic  measures 
he  has  followed  out  and  executed  afterward,  when  he  possessed 
the  power  so  to  do.  This  Constitution  is  double-faced  ;  and 
so  Louis  Napoleon  has  himself  pre-eminently  been  through- 
out his  whole  .career. 

A  second  work  issued  from  the  pen  of  our  princely  author 
in  1833.  This  was  his  "  Considerationes  Politiques  et  Mili- 
taires  sur  la  Suisse.'"  In  this  production  a  marked  im- 
provement was  perceptible  in  the  writer's  powers  of  thought 
and  composition.  It  attracted  considerable  attention  both 
among  diplomatic  circles  throughout  Europe,  and  also  among 
military  men.  It  discusses  with  discrimination  and  ability 
all  the  various  Constitutions  of  the  Cantons,  their  merits  and 
provisions ;  and  it  also  examines  the  military  position,  inte- 
rests and  necessities  of  the  Swiss.  It  designates,  in  this  con- 
nection, a  line  and  method  of  defence  which,  if  adopted  and 
energetically  executed  by  the  Helvetic  Diet,  would  render  the 
territories  and  the  homes  of  the  bold  mountaineers  impreg- 
nable to  any  foreign  foe.  The  style  of  the  work  is  elevated 
and  scholarlike,  and  would  have  made  a  mark  in  the  litera- 
ture of  the  day,  independently  of  the  relations  and  prospects 
of  the  writer.  It  was  referred  to  in  the  sessions  of  the  Diet 
as  a  remarkable  work  ;  and  as  a  reward  for  his  labors,  and 
for  his  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  the  Swiss,  that  body  unani- 
mously decreed  to  him  the  honorable  epithet  of  citizen  of 
the  Swiss  Republic.  This  was  a  token  of  esteem  which  had 
very  rarely  been  bestowed.  Two  instances  of  the  kind  only 
are  on  record,  and  these  involve  names  with  which  Louis 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  51 

Napoleon  need  not  blush  to  have  been  associated.  Thej 
were  Marshal  Ney,  and  Prince  Metternich.  In  June,  1834, 
the  Diet  again  expressed  their  esteem  for  the  person  and  cha- 
racter of  the  Prince,  by  conferring  upon  him  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain of  artillery  in  the  Bernese  regiment.  In  truth  he  became 
exceedingly  popular  among  his  adopted  countrymen  ;  nor  did 
he  neglect  any  means  whereby  he  might  win  their  esteem. 
He  attended  the  great  gymnastic  festivals  which  are  held  in 
many  of  the  Cantons,  and  took  part  in  their  manly  combats. 
He  frequently  bore  away  the  prizes  which  were  awarded  to 
superior  skill  in  the  use  of  fire-arms,  in  horsemanship,  in  the 
management  of  the  spear  and  lance,  and  even  in  aquatic 
exercises. 

At  this  period  a  gleam  of  brighter  fortunes  seemed  to  dawn 
upon  the  dark  horizon  of  his  career.  His  European  import- 
ance had  then  become  so  great,  that  when  the  constitutional 
party  triumphed  in  Portugal,  in  1835,  and  the  young  and 
beautiful  Donna  Maria  was  elevated  to  the  throne,  the  lead- 
ing statesmen  of  that  country  proposed  Louis  Napoleon  to 
the  queen  as  an  appropriate  match  for  her.  She  herself  ac- 
quiesced in  the  proposition  ;  but  the  Prince  declined  it.  He 
assigned  two  reasons  for  this  course  of  conduct,  both  of 
which  were  satisfactory  and  honorable.  The  first  was,  that 
such  an  alliance  might,  and  probably  would,  separate  his  fate 
and  interests  from  those  of  France.  The  second  was,  that 
his  acceptance  of  the  offer  would  interfere  with  the  wishes 
and  aspirations  of  his  cousin,  the  Duke  of  Leuchtenberg,  the 
son  of  Prince  Eugene,  who  desired  the  alliance  himself. 

In  consequence  of  this  refusal,  the  Queen  of  Portugal 
married  the  Duke  of  Leuchtenberg.  That  prince  died  very 
soon  after  his  marriage  ;  and  again  the  same  proposition 
was  made  to  Louis  Napoleon.  Again  the  latter  declined  it, 
and  published  the  following  letter  in  vindication  of  his  motives 
and  his  conduct : 

"  Several  journals  have  made  known  the  intelligence  of  my 
departure  for  Portugal,  as  a  pretender  to  the  hand  of  Queen 


52  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Donna  Maria.  However  flattering  for  me  may  be  the  idea 
of  a  union  with  a  young  queen,  beautiful  and  virtuous,  widow 
of  a  cousin  whom  I  tenderly  loved,  still  it  is  my  duty  to  re- 
fute such  a  report,  as  no  step  of  mine,  that  I  am  aware  of, 
could  have  furnished  any  grounds  for  announcing  it. 

"I  may  even  add  that,  notwithstanding  the  strong  interest 
attached  to  the  destinies  of  a  people  who  have  just  recovered 
their  independence,  I  would  refuse  the  honor  of  sharing  the 
throne  of  Portugal,  if  by  any  chance  I  should  be  offered  such 
an  exalted  position. 

"  The  noble  conduct  of  my  father,  who  abdicated  in  1810, 
because  he  could  not  reconcile  the  interests  of  France  with 
those  of  Holland,  has  not  escaped  my  recollection. 

"  My  father  has  proved  to  me,  by  his  own  example,  how 
much  to  be  preferred  my  country  is  to  a  seat  on  a  foreign 
throne.  I  feel,  in  effect,  that,  habituated  from  my  childhood 
to  love  my  country  above  all  things,  I  can  prefer  nothing  to 
the  interests  of  France.  Convinced  that  the  great  name 
which  I  bear  will  not  be  always  regarded  by  my  countrymen 
as  a  ground  for  exclusion,  reminding  them  as  it  does  of  fifteen 
years  of  glory,  I  wait  calmly,  in  a  free  and  hospitable  coun- 
try, until  the  people  recall  those  exiles  that  were  banished  in 
1815  by  twelve  hundred  thousand  foreigners.  This  hope  of 
one  day  serving  France,  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  soldier, 
strengthens  and  consoles  me  in  my  retirement,  and,  in  my 
•yea,  is  worth  all  the  thrones  in  the  world."1 

4a»  id  Moire  de  Napoleon  III.,  par  Paul  Lacroix,  vol.  i.,  p.  210. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  53 


CHAPTER  III. 

t  arsaits  and  Studies  of  Louis  Napoleon  at  Arenemberg  —  His  Manual 
of  Artillery  —  Character  of  that  Work  —  He  begins  to  plot  —  The 
Escapade  of  Strasburg  —  State  of  Public  Feeling  in  France  at  that 
Period  —  Unpopularity  of  Louis  Philippe  —  Preparations  for  the  Plot 
at  Arenemberg  —  The  Hunting-Party  —  The  Prince  arrives  at  Baden- 
Baden —  Hemeets  Madame  Gordon  —  Her  Beauty  and  Talents  —  Her 
former  History — She  becomes  a  Devotee  to  the  Prince  —  His  Ai'rival 
at  Strasburg  —  Meeting  of  the  Conspirators  —  Suspicions  aroused  and 
allayed  — Six  o'clock  arrives  —  Colonel  Vaudrey  —  Submission  of  the 
Fourth  Regiment  —  General  Voirol  —  The  Prince's  Identity  denied  — 
Total  and  rapid  Failure  of  the  Conspiracy  —  Arrest  of  the  Conspi- 
rators—  Examination  and  Responses  of  Louis  Napoleon. 

Louis  Napoleon  continued  to  pass  a  retired  and  unobtru- 
sive existence  amid  the  congenial  shades  of  Arenemberg. 
His  restless  and  inquiring  mind  felt  the  constant  necessity  of 
employment,  and  his  habits  at  this  period  indicated  that  he 
both  anticipated  and  prepared  himself  for  a  future  career  of 
adventure  and  activity.  Ambition  now  seemed  to  become 
the  predominant  passion  within  him  ;  and  his  time  was  chiefly 
spent  in  intellectual  pursuits  and  physical  exercises.  He 
lodged,  not  within  the  castle  itself,  which  the  cultivated  and 
queenly  Hortense  had  fitted  up  and  adorned  with  every  pos- 
sible appliance  of  luxury  and  enjoyment,  but  in  a  small  and 
rude  pavilion  near  its  massive  walls,  and  beneath  the  shadows 
of  the  surrounding  forest.  Here  his  frugal  table  was  spread. 
His  pursuits  were  laborious,  and  his  habits  partook  of  the 
rigor  of  military  life.  Neither  a  carpet  nor  an  arm-chair 
adorned  his  simple  abode  ;  but  it  was  garnished  with  books, 
charts,  philosophical  instruments,  and  fire-arms  of  every  de- 
scription. At  break  of  morn  the  prince  leaped  into  his  sad- 
dle, and  usually  rode  several  leagues  before  he  returned  to 
breakfast.  The  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in  his  studies,  hiH 
5* 


64  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

writings,  and  his  practice  with  the  sword,  the  rifle,  and  the 
lance.  Both  his  studies  and  amusements  now  assumed  a 
military  turn;  and  in  December,  1835,  he  completed  and 
published  his  "  Manual  of  Artillery,  for  the  Use  of  Artillery- 
Officers  of  the  Helvetic  Republic." 

This  third  production  of  Louis  Napoleon  evinces  the  pro- 
gress which  he  had  made  in  intellectual  and  professional 
training.  The  volume  contains  everything  of  importance 
which  can  be  said  in  reference  to  the  subject  of  Artillery, 
both  field,  siege,  and  stationary.  It  contains  an  introduction 
which  presents  a  comprehensive  historical  survey  of  the  inven- 
tion and  progress  of  cannon.  The  body  of  the  work  may 
be  divided  into  three  general  departments.  The  first  treats 
of  field-artillery ;  the  second,  of  siege  and  stationary  artillery  ; 
the  third,  of  the  manufactories  and  constructions  which  are 
necessarily  connected  with  their  use.  The  work  also  dis- 
cusses the  service  and  management  of  cannon,  both  upon  the 
march  and  in  action  ;  and  it  enters  into  scientific  researches 
in  reference  to  the  theory  of  initial  velocities,  and  the  eleva- 
tion, pointing,  and  direction  of  guns.  Other  related  topics 
are  ably  discussed,  such  as  the  science  of  fortification,  both 
of  attack  and  of  defence ;  the  manufacture  of  gunpowder ; 
the  casting  of  cannon  ;  and,  in  fact,  every  other  theme  which 
legitimately  came  within  the  scope  of  the  subject. 

This  work  gives  ample  evidence  of  the  industry,  research, 
and  discrimination  of  its  author.  It  made  him  well  known 
in  the  military  circles  of  Europe  ;  and  it  clearly  indicated 
that  he  was  not  only  possessed  of  intellectual  energies,  which 
honorably  distinguished  him  from  the  great  herd  of  vapid  and 
imbecile  European  princes,  who  dreamed  away  their  useless 
and  pernicious  lives  in  idleness,  luxury,  and  vice  ;  but  also, 
that  he  was  preparing  himself  for  scenes  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary vicissitude  and  importance,  to  be  developed  in  the 
uncertain  future. 

Thus  far,  indeed,  the  events  of  the  life  of  Louis  Napoleon 
had  passed  by  without  a  stigma  ;  each  succeeding  year  had 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  55 

added  to  the  respect  which  was  entertained  for  his  character 
and  talents  ;  and  had  augmented  the  interest,  both  hopeful 
and  apprehensive,  with  which  his  future  fate  was  contem- 
plated. Thus  far  the  reasonable,  the  prudent,  the  commend- 
able, had  predominated  in  the  life  of  the  prince  ;  but  now  an 
unhappy  episode  commences  in  his  history,  in  which  the  ab- 
surd, the  ridiculous,  and  the  unfortunate,  fill  up  the  chief 
measure,  and  give  the  main  coloring,  to  his  career.  We 
have  now  arrived  at  the  memorable  farce  and  the  laughable 
escapade  of  Strasburg,  whose  origin,  progress,  and  termina- 
tion, form  one  of  the  most  ludicrous  and  anomalous  scenes 
presented  in  history. 

The  state  of  France  at  that  moment  was  peculiar.  The 
prevalent  feeling  was  one  of  disappointment  and  contempt 
for  the  government  of  the  selfish,  avaricious,  and  perfidious 
Louis  Philippe.  The  great  mass  of  the  nation  were  filled  with 
regret  that  they  had  approved  the  Revolution  of  July,  which 
placed  him  on  an  undeserved  and  now  tarnished  throne.  The 
small  party  of  the  Legitimists  regarded  the  public  dissatis- 
faction with  favor ;  because  they  were  waiting  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  promote  the  reviving  hopes  of  the  Bourbon  family. 
The  national  suffrage  had  become  a  mere  mockery.  Among 
the  thirty  millions  of  Frenchmen,  scarcely  a  quarter  of  a  mil- 
lion of  electors  deposited  their  ballots.  Louis  Philippe, 
"the  citizen  king,"  had  created  a  vast  number  of  petty 
offices,  which  he  had  filled  with  his  obsequious  tools  ;  and 
their  agency  at  the  polls  rendered  the  national  will  a  nullity. 
The  prejudices  and  hatreds  which  had  once  existed  against 
the  first  Napoleon,  had,  with  the  lapse  of  time,  in  a  very 
great  measure  passed  away ;  and  the  remembrance  of  his 
ancient  glory  began  to  resume  its  resistless  sway  over  the 
minds  of  a  martial  and  chivalrous  nation.  The  statue  of  the 
dead  Emperor  had  been  restored  to  the  summit  of  the  pillar 
in  the  Place  Vendome ;  the  magnificent  triumphal  Arc  de 
VEtoile  was  in  progress  of  rapid  completion  ;  already  the 
project  of  removing  the  ashes  of  the  mighty  conqueror  from 


56  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

their  ocean-bed  at  St.  Helena,  to  the  banks  of  the  Seine,  and 
among  the  French  people  whom  he  loved  so  well,  was  agi- 
tated and  discussed  ;  and  thus  while  Louis  Philippe  absurdly 
hoped  to  surround  himself  with  perpetual  glories  borrowed 
from  the  brow  of  Napoleon,  he  unconsciously  increased  the 
disgust  of  the  nation  at  his  own  inferiority,  and  revived  their 
admiration  for  the  departed  hero.  This  state  of  things  natu- 
rally led  to  the  revival  of  the  hopes  of  the  partizans  of  his 
family,  and  of  his  representatives.  Every  day  Louis  Philippe 
was  transforming  his  government  more  and  more  into  an  un- 
principled despotism,  in  violation  of  every  dictate  of  honor, 
honesty,  and  patriotism.  The  house  of  Orleans  was  in  truth 
rapidly  descending  from  its  once  high  estate,  to  the  ignoble 
purpose  and  occupation  of  filling  their  money-bags,  of  marry- 
ing their  debauched  sons  to  the  daughters  of  royal  houses, 
and  of  promoting  their  most  selfish  personal  aims,  at  the 
sacrifice  of  the  liberties  and  dignity  of  the  nation. 

From  1830  till  1848,  the  whole  reign  of  Louis  Philippe 
was  a  continued  attempt  on  his  part,  by  intriguing,  evading, 
manoeuvring,  and  lying,  to  perform  as  little  as  was  possible 
of  all  the  solemn  promises  and  sonorous  professions,  with 
which  he  ascended  the  throne.  The  most  sordid,  grovelling, 
perfidious,  and  disgraceful  reign  which  has  ever  occurred 
during  the  whole  progress  of  French  history,  taking  all  things 
calmly  into  consideration,  was  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe. 
Its  symbol  should  have  been,  and  should  forever  continue  to 
be,  a  full  money-bag  surrounded  by  a  chain  ! 

It  was  not  singular  that,  while  this  reign  was  becoming 
the  object  of  the  hatred  of  the  nation,  and  of  the  contempt 
of  Europe,  Louis  Napoleon  should,  with  his  eyes  vigilantly 
fixed  upon  his  native  land,  perceive  the  progress  and  ten- 
dency of  public  opinion.  His  partizans  throughout  France 
now  earnestly  assured  him,  and  that  with  singular  unanimity, 
that  the  propitious  period  was  approaching  when  he  should 
proclaim  his  aims  and  purposes,  should  assume  the  lead  in 
*he  expression  of  public  sentiment,  should  offer  himself  to 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  57 

the  nation  as  their  chief,  and  should  overthrow  the  existing 
government. 

Louis  Napoleon  was  still  residing  at  Arenemberg,  when 
he  himself  believed  the  critical  moment  for  the  execution  of 
his  designs  had  arrived.  It  is  highly  probable  that  Queen 
Hortense  both  knew  and  approved  of  his  plans.  She  still 
intensely  yearned  to  see  her  darling  and  only  son  seated  on 
the  majestic  throne  of  the  fallen  Emperor.  Her  conduct, 
when  the  prince  left  the  Castle  of  Arenemberg  under  the  pre- 
text of  a  hunting  expedition  into  the  principality  of  Hec- 
kingen,  but  really  for  the  purpose  of  proceeding  to  Baden- 
Baden,  and  thence  to  Strasburg,  was  not  such  as  comported 
with  the  innocence  and  security  of  his  alleged  destination. 
She  displayed  intense  emotion.  She  threw  her  arms  around 
his  neck,  and  repeatedly  embraced  him.  She  wept  profusely  ; 
and  as  her  son  at  last  was  about  to  depart,  she  solemnly  placed 
upon  his  finger  the  marriage  ring  of  Napoleon  and  Josephine, 
both  as  a  talisman  of  future  safety,  and  as  a  memento  of  past 
glory. 

The  prince  arrived  at  Baden-Baden,  and  an  incident  there 
occurred  which  threw  an  air  of  romance  around  his  fortunes, 
and  pleasingly  contrasted  with  the  general  gloom  and  cheer- 
lessness  of  his  impending  fate.  It  was  here  that  he  first  met 
the  lady  known  as  Madame  Gordon.  This  person  was  the 
daughter  of  a  former  captain  in  the  Imperial  army,  who  had 
followed  the  vicissitudes  and  witnessed  the  glory  of  the  elder 
Napoleon  throughout  his  whole  career.  Her  mind  had  been 
early  stored  with  legends  of  the  Empire,  and  her  youthful 
admiration  had  been  profoundly  enlisted  in  behalf  of  the 
great  Corsican.  At  the  period  of  which  we  now  write,  she 
was  young,  very  beautiful,  and  full  of  bewitching  arts  and 
coquetry.  Thrown  at  an  early  age  upon  the  world,  she  had 
adopted  the  profession  of  a  public  singer  as  a  means  of  sub- 
sistence ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  charms  not  only  of  her 
exquisite  voice,  but  also  of  her  beautiful  face  and  person,  were 
rendered  tributary  to  the  task  of  ministering  both  to  her  sup- 


58  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

port,  and  to  her  fondness  for  dissipation  and  luxury.    She  had 
had  many  intrigues  ;  but  they  were  always  with  the  wealthy  and 
the  noble.     Passing  lightly  from  one  amorous  connection  to 
another,  as  caprice  or  interest  dictated,  her  life  had  not  been 
devoid  of  deep  romance.    Among  her  various  lovers,  the  last 
was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  active  partisans  of  the 
Bonapartist  cause  ;    who,  in  a  moment   either  of  excessive 
carelessness  or  intense  affection,  had  revealed  to  her  the  con- 
templated plan  of  Louis  Napoleon,  to  assail  and  overthrow 
the  existing  government.     Devotedly  attached  to  the  name 
and   family  of  Napoleon,  Madame    Gordon  became  deeply 
interested  in  favor  of  the  young  adventurer.    She  immediately 
journeyed  to  Arenemberg,  but  arrived  there  on  the  very  day 
on  which  Louis  Napoleon  departed  for  Baden-Baden.     She 
instantly  followed  him  to  that  retreat,  ascertained  the  place 
of  his  temporary  abode,  obtained  an  interview  with  him,  in- 
formed him  of  the  fact  that  she  had  been  initiated  into  the 
plot,   declared  her  ardent  devotion  to  his   person   and   his 
cause,  and  offered  to  serve  him  to  the  utmost  of  her  ability. 

That  offer  was  gladly  accepted.  Love  and  ambition  both 
plead  powerfully  in  behalf  of  the  fair  devotee;  and  both 
seemed  compatible  with  the  interests  and  the  tastes  of  the 
prince.  By  means  of  Madame  Gordon's  intelligence  and 
beauty  he  opened  direct  communications  with  the  officers  of 
the  regiments  then  stationed  in  Strasburg.  She  possessed 
arguments  adapted  to  the  passions  of  all.  To  the  aged  she 
presented  the  thrilling  souvenirs  of  the  Empire,  and  those 
triumphant  and  glorious  scenes  in  which  they  had  participated  ; 
to  the  avaricious  she  offered  immense  riches  ;  to  the  ambitious 
she  held  forth  the  glittering  meed  of  glory  ;  to  the  discontented 
the  soothing  solace  of  revenge  ;  and  to  the  chivalrous  and 
gallant,  the  potent  blandishments  of  love.  It  was  not  strange 
that  with  such  an  emissary,  assisted  by  others  of  a  different 
character,  a  sufficient  number  of  the  officers  of  Strasburg 
should  have  been  corrupted,  to  have  induced  the  prince  to 
6uppose  that  the  remainder  would  be  easily  won  over  to  his 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  59 

cause  after  the  public  demonstration  in  bis  favor  had  been 
begun. 

A  few  weeks  having  been  spent  by  Louis  Napoleon  at 
Baden-Baden,  devoted  to  the  fascinating  society  of  Madame 
Gordon,  and  to  his  intrigues  with  his  partizans  and  emissaries 
in  Strasburg,  he  secretly  proceeded  on  the  30th  of  October, 
1836,  to  that  city.  He  was  accompanied  by  that  lady,  to 
whom,  in  this  important  emergency,  he  entrusted  his  papers 
and  effects.  He  repaired  first  to  the  house  of  M.  Persigny, 
where  he  remained  concealed  during  the  day.  When  night 
arrived,  he  proceeded  to  another  house  in  a  distant  part  of 
the  city,  in  the  Rue  Fontaine,  in  the  basement  of  which  all 
the  conspirators  were  to  assemble  at  an  appointed  hour.  The 
weather  was  cold,  but  a  bright  autumnal  moon  illumined  the 
ancient  and  narrow  streets  of  the  city.  The  conspirators,  to 
the  number  of  thirty-five,  remained  in  consultation  during  the 
night,  intending  to  strike  the  decisive  blow  at  six  o'clock  on 
the  ensuing  morning. 

During  the  night  the  prince  arranged  with  Colonel  Yau- 
drey,  the  chief  conspirator,  the  plan  of  the  next  day's  pro- 
ceedings. The  Colonel  said  to  him  :  "  There  is  no  question 
here  of  a  conflict  of  arms  ;  your  cause  is  too  French  and  too 
pure,  to  pollute  it  with  the  effusion  of  blood.  There  is  only 
one  way  for  you  to  act,  which  will  be  worthy  of  you.  When 
you  are  at  the  head  of  my  regiment  we  will  march  together 
to  the  residence  of  General  Voirol,  we  will  show  him  the  im- 
perial eagle,  and  he  will  be  persuaded  that  the  whole  garrison 
is  in  our  favor,  and  will  join  us."  During  the  tedious  progress 
of  the  night  the  deliberations  of  the  conspirators  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  inquiries  and  apprehensions  of  the  lodgers  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  house,  who  became  alarmed  by  the 
mysterious  and  unusual  noises  which  the  conversation  and 
movements  of  so  many  persons  inevitably  made.  Silence  was 
again  commanded,  and  the  people  fortunately  retired  to  their 
beds. 

At  length,  when  morning  dawned,  the  bells  in  the  great 


60  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

tower  of  the  Cathedral  solemnly  tolled  forth  the  hour  of  six  • 
and  the  impressive  sound  striking  on  the  expectant  ears  of  the 
conspirators,  summoned  them  to  their  task  of  glory  or  of 
ruin.  They  emerged  into  the  streets  and  proceeded  toward 
the  barracks  of  the  artillery.  Having  arrived  there  in  com- 
pany with  M.  Pasquin,  Louis  Napoleon,  who  had  assumed 
the  uniform  of  a  brigadier-general,  found  the  fourth  regiment 
of  artillery,  of  which  Colonel  Vaudrey  was  the  commandant, 
drawn  out  in  the  open  space  before  their  cantonments.  The 
colonel  stood  alone  in  the  middle  of  the  yard.  Louis  Napo- 
leon proceeded  immediately  to  join  him.  The  colonel  then 
drew  his  sword,  and  exclaimed  to  the  soldiers  :  "  Behold  the 
nephew  of  Napoleon !  A  great  revolution  is  being  accom- 
plished at  this  moment.  The  nephew  of  Napoleon,  his  heir 
and  representative,  comes  to  reconquer  the  rights  of  the  people. 
It  is  around  him  that  all  who  love  the  glory  and  liberty  of 
France,  should  rally.  Soldiers  !  you  must  feel,  as  I  do,  all 
the  grandeur  of  the  enterprise  in  which  you  are  about  to 
engage,  all  the  sacredness  of  the  cause  which  you  are  about 
to  defend.  Can  the  nephew  of  the  great  Napoleon  rely  upon 
your  fidelity  ?" 

The  soldiers  responded  to  this  speech  with  as  much  enthu- 
siasm as  could  reasonably  be  expected  on  a  cold  autumnal 
morning;  while  Louis  Napoleon  himself,  boldly  facing  the 
regiment,  tried  his  best  to  look  as  much  as  possible  like  the 
"Nephew  of  his  Uncle  !"  He  then  spoke  as  follows  :  "  Re- 
solved to  conquer  or  die  for  the  cause  of  the  French  people, 
it  is  to  you  that  I  wish  to  present  myself  in  the  first  instance, 
because  between  us  there  exists  great  and  thrilling  recollec- 
tions. It  was  in  your  regiment  that  my  uncle  served  as  cap- 
tain ;  with  you  he  fought  at  the  siege  of  Toulon  ;  and  it  was 
your  brave  regiment  which  first  received  him  at  Grenoble  on 
his  return  from  Elba.  Soldiers  !  new  destinies  are  in  store 
for  you  !  To  you  is  offered  the  honor  of  commencing  a  great 
enterprize  !  You  will  have  the  glory  of  being  the  first  to 
salute  the  eagle  of  Austerlitz  I" 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  61 

At  this  crisis,  the  prince,  receiving  the  eagle  from  M.  do 
Querelle,  one  of  his  confederate  officers,  held  it  forth  at  arm's 
length  toward  the  regiment,  and  exclaimed:  "Behold  the 
symbol  of  the  glory  of  France  1  It  is  destined  to  become  the 
emblem  of  liberty  !  For  fifteen  years  it  led  our  fathers  to 
victory  ;  it  glittered  on  all  the  battle-fields,  and  in  all  the 
capitals  of  Europe.  Will  you  now  rally  around  it,  and  march 
■with  me  against  the  traitors  and  oppressors  of  our  country  ? 
Vive  la  France!  Vive  la  Liberie  '"  And  once  more,  in  re- 
sponse, a  reasonable  number  of  soldiers  shouted  out:  "Vive 
Napoleon!   Vive  V 'Umpereur /" 

Having  thus  assured  himself  of  the  attachment  of  the  fourth 
regiment  of  artillery,  the  next  object  of  the  prince  was  to 
repair  to  the  quarters  of  the  commandant  of  all  the  military 
forces  in  Strasburg,  General  Voirol,  in  order  to  win  him  over 
to  his  cause.  On  his  way  thither,  it  was  necessary  for  the 
prince  to  traverse  a  considerable  distance,  and  during  his 
progress  he  sent  an  officer,  with  a  company  of  men,  to  the 
printers,  to  prepare  and  publish  his  proclamation.  He  sent 
other  detachments  to  arrest  the  prefect  of  the  city,  and  to  per- 
form several  important  commissions.  At  length  the  prince 
and  his  friends  arrived  at  the  residence  of  General  Voirol. 
The  commandant  was  still  in  bed.  lie  refused  to  admit  his 
visitors,  and  Louis  Napoleon,  Vaudrey,  Pasquin,  and  two 
other  officers,  ascended  to  his  room  and  broke  open  the  door. 
On  being  thus  assailed,  Voirol  gazed  with  mingled  astonish- 
ment and  terror  upon  the  intruders.  The  prince,  approaching 
him  and  holding  toward  him  the  eagle  of  Austerlitz,  ex- 
claimed :  "  General,  I  approach  you  as  a  friend.  I  would  be 
sorry  to  raise  our  old  tri-color  without  the  assistance  of  a 
brave  soldier  like  you.  The  garrison  is  in  my  favor  ;  decide, 
and  follow  mcl"  But  the  old  general  caught  none  of  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  prince.  Sitting  up  in  bed,  he  began  to 
read  him  a  severe  lecture,  which,  to  the  prince,  was  both  in- 
opportune and  disagreeable.  Said  he:  "You  have  been 
wofully  deceived.  The  army  knows  its  duty,  and  of  this  you 
6 


62  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

will  soon  be  convinced.  Your  undertaking  is  hopeless,  youi 
attempt  is  criminal,  and  will  end  only  in  your  ruin.  I  adjure 
you  to  go  no  farther." 

The  prince  was  naturally  disgusted  at  such  unwelcome 
advice  as  this,  turned  on  his  heel,  ordered  a  file  of  his  soldiers 
to  arrest  and  guard  the  general,  and  hastened,  with  consider 
able  abatement  of  enthusiasm,  to  execute  the  rest  of  his  pro- 
gramme. He  directed  his  steps  toward  the  barrack  of  Fink- 
matt,  in  order  to  secure  the  allegiance  of  the  regiments 
quartered  there.  Having  arrived,  the  soldiers  crowded 
around  the  prince,  more  from  curiosity  than  from  any  other 
motive  ;  and  he  began  to  harangue  them.  Some  of  them 
shouted  Vive  Napoleon  !  Vive  V  Empereur  !  but  the  majority 
of  them  said  nothing.  At  this  crisis  an  unfortunate  incident 
occurred,  which  blasted  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  even 
though  the  battalion  of  the  pontonniers,  and  the  third  regi- 
ment of  artillery  were  marching  to  join  the  prince,  having 
Deen  won  over  by  the  arguments  of  their  officers.  Colonel 
Taillander,  being  among  the  disaffected,  raised  the  shout  that 
the  alleged  Prince  Napoleon  was  not  he,  but  a  nephew  of 
Colonel  Vaudrey.  "  I  know  him  well,"  said  he,  "for  I  have 
studied  with  him."  This  revelation,  coming  at  such  a  time 
and  in  such  a  manner,  produced  an  electrical  effect  on  the 
soldiers.  The  pretender  was  immediately  greeted  with 
loud  jeers  and  laughter ;  and  instantly,  the  romance,  the 
glory,  and  the  success  of  the  enterprise  were  at  an  end.  Louis 
Napoleon  tried  in  vain  to  speak  to  the  malcontents.  Tail- 
lander  ordered  the  gates  to  be  closed,  and  the  drums  to  beat. 
In  vain  the  desperate  prince  demanded  to  be  heard.  His 
screams  and  violent  gesticulations  were  only  as  a  dumb  show 
to  the  astounded  and  diverted  lookers  on  ;  while  each  moment 
the  confusion  continued  to  increase.  Muskets  were  discharged, 
swords  flashed  in  the  air,  the  cannoneers  arrested  infantry 
officers,  and  the  infantry  in  turn  arrested  officers  of  artillery. 
A  general  melee  ensued  in  the  space  before  the  barracks,  during 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  63 

which  the  prince,  seeing  his  case  becoming  desperate,  in  vain 
besought  one  of  the  artillery-men  to  lend  him  his  horse,  with 
which  to  escape ;  and  he  came  very  near  being  crushed  to 
death  under  the  feet  of  horses  and  men.  The  confusion  sub- 
sided as  soon  as  the  prince  and  his  attendants  were  all 
arrested.  They  were  immediately  taken  to  the  guard-room 
and  confined.  The  disaffected  regiment,  covered  with  shame, 
returned  quietly  to  their  quarters;  and  thus  ended  in  igno- 
minious failure  and  disgrace,  the  memorable  conspiracy  of 
Strasburg. 

A  few  moments  after  the  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  the 
prince,  General  Voirol  entered,  who  greeted  him  with  the 
remark  that  he  had  found  but  one  traitor  in  the  army,  mean- 
ing Colonel  Vaudrey.  Louis  Napoleon  responded:  "Say 
rather,  general,  that  I  have  found  a  Labedoyere ;"  and  he 
assured  him  that  he  should  interest  himself  for  the  Colonel's 
children,  because  it  was  through  that  officer's  regard  for 
General  Voirol,  and  the  waste  of  time  spent  in  parleying  with 
him,  that  the  failure  of  the  enterprise  was  in  some  measure 
to  be  attributed. 

In  a  few  hours  the  prince  was  removed  to  the  prison  of 
Strasburg,  and  subjected  to  a  formal  examination.  He  wa3 
asked  what  had  induced  him  to  conspire  against  the  govern- 
ment. He  responded  that  his  political  opinions,  and  a  desire 
to  reside  again  in  his  own  country,  from  which  he  had  been 
unjustly  exiled,  were  his  motives.  When  asked  whether  he 
had  intended  to  establish  a  military  government,  he  answered, 
that  he  desired  a  government  based  on  popular  election.  He 
declared  that  his  first  step  would  have  been  to  assemble  a 
National  Congress,  and  thus  appeal  to  the  nation  for  its  sup- 
port. He  insisted  that  the  whole  rigor  of  the  law  should  fall 
upon  himself,  who  was  the  sole  originator  and  leader  in  the 
attempt ;  from  whom  only  any  danger  was  to  be  apprehended. 

The  unfortunate  prince  was  then  left  alone  in  his  dungeon, 
to  indulge  in  profound  and  useful  "  Beveries"  on  the  vanity 


C4  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

and  instability  of  human  grandeur !  He  discovered,  when 
too  late,  that  he  had  acted  very  rashly  in  commencing  deci- 
sive measures,  as  the  legitimate  heir  and  successor  of  the 
great  Corsican,  before  the  arrival  of  the  appropriate  junc- 
ture, without  proper  preparations,  and  probably  by  the  use 
of  means  which  are  not  wisely  adapted  to  the  accomplishment 
of  the  intended  end,  even  if  used  at  the  most  propitious 
time. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  66 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Presence  of  Mind  and  Intrepidity  of  Madame  Gordon  —  Her  Trial  and 
Acquittal — Her  subsequent  Pate — The  Gratitude  of  Louis  Napoleon 
—  His  Removal  to  Paris  —  Intercessions  of  Queen  Hortense  in  his 
behalf — The  Prince  Banished  —  His  Voyage  to  Rio  Janeiro  —  His 
Arrival  at  New  York — Ilia  Conduct  in  the  United  States — Letter 
from  Hortense  —  His  Return  to  Switzerland  —  Death  of  Hortense  — 
Brochure  of  M.  Persigny — Re-published  by  M.  Laity — Letter  of  Louis 
Napoleon  to  Laity  —  Louis  Philippe  demands  his  Expulsion  from 
Switzerland  —  The  Cantons  refuse — War  threatened — Voluntary 
•withdrawal  of  the  Prince — He  goes  to  England — Publishes  his  Idee* 
Napoleoniennes  —  Gore  House  —  The  Countess  of  Blessington  —  Lord 
Eglinton — The  Prince's  Habits  of  Dissipation  in  London — His  con 
nection  with  Mrs.  Howard  —  Her  History  and  Career. 

The  inhabitants  of  Strasburg  learned  almost  at  the  same 
moment  the  outbreak  of  the  conspiracy  and  its  suppression. 
On  the  arrest  of  its  chief,  his  principal  confederates  were  also 
taken  into  custody,  though  confined  in  separate  prisons. 
The  devoted  Madame  Gordon  had  awaited  in  her  apartments, 
with  intense  anxiety,  the  progress  of  the  insurrection;  and 
she  soon  received  information  of  its  total  failure.  She  dis- 
played in  this  great  crisis  as  much  intrepidity  as  she  had 
before  exhibited  adroitness  and  tact ;  and  instead  of  seeking 
her  immediate  safety  in  concealment  or  flight,  she  employed 
the  precious  moments  in  committing  to  the  flames  all  the 
papers  and  memorials  connected  with  the  plot,  which  had 
been  left  in  her  keeping.  This  act  of  superior  courage  and 
sagacity  on  her  part  preserved  many  persons  from  ruin,  and 
from  the  vengeance  of  the  government  of  Louis  Philippe. 
She  had  scarcely  completed  her  generous  task,  when  her 
apartment  was  entered  by  the  police,  and  she  herself  con- 
veyed to  prison.  Her  subsequent  fate  is  interesting.  At 
her  trial  she  was  acquitted,  inasmuch  as  no  evidence  could  be 
G  *  E 


56  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

found  to  implicate  her.  Her  services  were  appreciated  by 
Queen  Hortense,  whose  grateful  munificence  she  soon  expe- 
rienced. The  beautiful  conspirator  ever  after  remained 
devotedly  attached  to  the  person  and  the  fortunes  of  the 
prince  ;  and  during  his  subsequent  wanderings  and  vicissi- 
tudes, she  occasionally  enjoyed  his  society.  It  may  not  be 
improper  here  to  add,  that  both  during  his  imprisonment  and 
exile  in  after  years,  she  often  relieved  his  pecuniary  necessi- 
ties ;  and  that,  when  he  rose  at  length  to  imperial  power  and 
splendor,  she  was  not  forgotten.  Colonel  Yaudrey  was  also 
rewarded,  and  was  appointed  the  Governor  of  the  Hotel  des 
Invalides,  after  the  coup  d'etat.  Madame  Gordon  is  said 
still  to  reside  in  Paris,  under  another  name,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  all  the  opulence  and  luxury  which  the  gratitude  and  ad- 
miration of  the  Emperor  can  bestow.  Whenever  the  monarch 
can  secretly  escape  from  the  heavy  cares  of  empire,  and  from 
the  lynx-eyed  vigilance  of  Eugenie,  his  first  retreat  even  yet, 
is  to  the  sumptuous  residence  of  the  still  pleasing  and  at- 
tractive Madame  Gordon  ;  where  wit,  cheerfulness,  luxury, 
and  the  thrilling  reminiscences  of  the  checkered  past,  present 
a  welcome  contrast  to  the  gorgeous  and  stupid  monotonies 
of  the  imperial  court  and  palace. 

After  a  confinement  of  ten  days  in  the  castle  of  Strasburg, 
Louis  Napoleon  was  informed  that  he  was  to  be  transferred 
to  another  prison.  He  was  first  taken  to  the  hotel  of  the 
prefect,  where  he  found  two  post-chaises  in  waiting.  He  was 
ordered  to  enter  one,  in  company  with  M.  Cuynat,  commander 
of  the  gendarmerie  of  the  Seine,  and  Lietenant  Shiboulet ; 
while  the  other  was  filled  with  officers.  They  immediately 
started  for  Paris.  During  the  journey,  his  attendants  treated 
the  captive  prince  with  respect ;  and  they  arrived  at  the  capital 
on  the  11th  of  November,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Immediately  after  the  outbreak  of  the  insurrection  Queen 
Hortense,  being  informed  of  its  failure,  braved  the  prohibition 
which  still  excluded  the  Bonaparte  family  from  the  soil  of 
.France,  and   hastened   to  the  presence  of  Louis  Philippe. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  67 

She  implored  his  clemency  in  behalf  of  her  son  with  frantic 
earnestness  ;  and  not  in  vain.     She  was  able  to  point  to  the 
lenity  of  the  fallen  emperor  toward  the  Duchess  de  Berry, 
on  a  former  occasion  ;  and,  under  similar  circumstances,  Louis 
Philippe  was   convinced  that  policy  itself  commended   the 
path  of  generosity,  because  he  thought  that,  if  he  punished 
the  prince  severely  or  capitally,  he  would  incense  the  great 
Napoleonic  party  in  France ;  whereas  if  he  forgave,  he  would 
both  conciliate  them,  and  at  the  same  time  convince  the  na- 
tion that  he  regarded  the  attempt  and  the  influence  of  the 
prince  as  too  insignificant  to  deserve  any  serious  penalty. 
Louis  Philippe,  accordingly,   promised  to  deal  gently  with 
the  hero  of  Strasburg,  but  only  on  certain  conditions.     One 
of  these  was  that   he   should  forever  absent  himself  from 
France;  and  the  other,  that  he  should  renounce  all  claims 
and  aspirations   to  the  throne.     The  former  condition  the 
prince  promised  solemnly  to   fulfil ;    the    latter  he  adroitly 
evaded.     What  assurances  Queen  Hortense  may  have  made 
in  behalf  of  her  son,  it  is  impossible  to  say.    He  himself  gave 
none,  except  a  promise  of  perpetual  exile  from  France. 

In  pursuance  of  his  sentence  of  banishment,  the  prince  was 
conveyed  to  the  citadel  of  Port  Louis.  Here  he  was  detained 
ten  days,  waiting  for  a  favorable  wind.  He  was  to  be  con- 
veyed to  the  United  States  in  a  French  frigate.  Before  he 
set  sail  he  wrote  to  M.  Barrot,  the  distinguished  Parisian 
advocate,  requesting  him  to  take  charge  of  the  defence  of 
Colonel  Yaudrey.  He  also  wrote  to  Louis  Philippe,  asking 
his  indulgence  in  behalf  of  his  confederates  in  the  insurrection, 
and  declaring  that  the  sole  blame  should  rest  with  him,  who 
had  seduced  them  by  glorious  recollections,  in  a  moment  of 
excitement  and  confusion.  It  is  doubtful  whether  these  repre- 
sentations had  any  weight  with  the  crafty  and  selfish  monarch 
who  then  governed  the  destinies  of  France.  The  offenders 
were  brought  to  trial,  but  the  jury  acquitted  them. 

This  "mad  affair  of  Strasburg"  has  always  been  regarded 
in  different  lights  by  different  parties.     The  prevalent  senti- 


bS  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

ment  throughout  Europe  in  reference  to  it,  has  generally 
been  unmixed  ridicule  and  contempt.  The  press  during  many 
months  overflowed  with  innumerable  satires  and  outbursts 
of  derision.  The  movement  was  described  as  the  absurd 
attempt  of  an  obscure  and  unknown  boy  to  imitate  the  memo- 
rable and  triumphant  return  of  Napoleon  from  Elba;  and,  as 
a  proof  that  the  prince  did  not  possess  sagacity  enough  to 
see  the  difference  between  the  two  cases,  they  cited  the  several 
results.  Perhaps  the  best  excuse  for  Louis  Napoleon  on 
this  occasion,  will  be  found  in  the  fact  that,  being  excluded 
from  the  soil  of  France,  he  was  readily  deceived  by  his  enthu- 
siastic emissaries  in  reference  to  the  existing  state  of  public 
opinion  ;  that  he  was  led  to  believe  that  the  whole  nation  was 
ready  to  rise  at  any  instant,  in  support  of  his  pretensions ; 
that  Louis  Philippe  was  then  tottering  on  his  throne ;  and 
that  the  most  propitious  moment  for  action  had  already 
arrived.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  during  the  progress  of  the 
insurrection  the  conduct  of  the  prince  was  not  deficient  either 
in  energy,  fortitude,  or  determination.  The  following  extract 
from  a  letter,  written  by  him  after  his  departure  from  France, 
and  addressed  to  M.  Yillaud,  explains  his  own  views  in  refer- 
ence to  the  matter:  "I  had  two  lines  of  conduct  open  to 
me:  the  one,  which  in  some  respects  depended  on  myself; 
the  other,  which  depended  on  events.  In  deciding  upon  the 
former,  I  became,  as  you  very  truly  say,  a  means  ;  in  waiting 
for  the  other,  I  should  only  have  been  a  resource.  According 
to  my  views  and  my  convictions,  the  first  part  appeared  to 
me  much  preferable  to  the  other.  The  success  of  my  project 
would  offer  to  me  the  following  advantages  :  I  should  have 
done  in  one  day,  and  by  a  coup  de  main,  the  work  of  perhaps 
ten  years  :  successful,  I  spared  France  the  conflicts,  the  trou- 
bles, the  disorders,  attendant  upon  a  state  of  general  confu- 
sion, which  must,  I  think,  occur  sooner  or  later.  'The 
spirit  of  a  revolution,'  M.  Thiers  observes,  'consists  in  an 
ardent  passion  for  the  object  in  view,  and  a  hatred  for  those 
who  oppose  an  obstacle. to  its  attainment. '     Having  led  the 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  69 

people  with  us,  by  means  of  the  array,  we  should  have  had 
all  the  noble  passions,  without  animosities ;  for  animosity  only 
results  from  a  conflict  between  physical  force  and  moral  force. 
For  myself,  my  position  would  have  been  clear,  simple,  and 
easy.  Having  carried  a  revolution  with  the  aid  of  fifteen 
persons,  if  I  had  arrived  in  Paris,  I  should  have  owed  my 
success  to  the  people  only  —  not  to  any  party:  arriving  there 
victorious  I  should,  of  my  own  free  will,  without  being  com- 
pelled to  it,  have  laid  down  my  sword  upon  the  altar  of  my 
country  ;  and  then  they  might  well  have  confidence  in  me, 
for  it  was  no  longer  my  name  alone,  but  my  person,  which 
became  a  guarantee  for  my  conduct.  In  the  other  case  sup- 
posed, I  could  only  have  been  called  upon  by  a  fraction  of 
the  people  ;  I  should  have  had  as  my  enemies,  not  only  a 
debilitated  government,  but  a  crowd  of  other  parties,  them- 
selves too,  perhaps,  of  a  national  character."1 

It  was  nearly  a  fortnight  before  the  vessel  which  carried 
the  adventurous  prince  and  his  uncertain  fortunes  passed 
through  the  channel,  being  detained  by  contrary  winds.  The 
commander  was  Captain  Yilleneuve,  and  his  orders  were  first 
to  sail  to  Rio  Janeiro,  where  the  vessel  was  to  be  re-victualled, 
thence  to  proceed  to  the  port  of  New  York.  The  voyage  to 
Brazil  was,  for  the  most  part,  a  tranquil  and  pleasant  one. 
On  crossing  the  line  the  prince  was  exempted  from  the  usual 
ceremonies  in  honor  of  Neptune,  which  are  then  performed. 
He  passed  his  time  chiefly  in  reacting.  On  New  Year's  day 
all  the  officers  of  the  vessel  entered  his  cabin  to  compliment 
him  with  their  good  wishes.  His  thoughts,  he  tells  us,  re- 
verted with  painful  emotions  to  the  castle  of  Arenemberg. 
He  thus  wrote  to  his  mother  on  that  day  :  "I  am  fifteen  hun- 
dred leagues  away  from  you,  in  another  hemisphere.  Happily, 
thought  traverses  all  this  space  in  less  than  a  second.  And 
n  thought  I  am  near  you  :  I  express  all  my  regrets  for  the 

1  "Napoleon  the  Third;  Review  of  his  Life,  Character,  and  Policy,  #C , 
\if  «.  British  Officer:"  London,  Longman  §  Co.,  1857,  p.  78. 


70  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

torments  I  have  occasioned  you ;  I  renew  the  expression  of 
my  tenderness  and  gratitude.  This  morning  the  officers  came 
in  a  body  to  wish  me  a  happy  new  year  —  an  attention  with 
which  I  was  sensibly  touched.  At  half  past  four  we  were  at 
table  ;  as  we  are  seventeen  degrees  west  of  Constance,  it  was 
at  that  time  about  seven  o'clock  at  Arenemberg ;  you  were 
then,  probably,  also  at  dinner.  In  thought  I  drank  your 
health  ;  perhaps  you  did  the  same  towards  me  ;  at  least,  I 
took  pleasure  in  thinking  so.  I  also  thought  of  my  com- 
panions in  misfortune.  Alas  !  I  am  always  thinking  of  them. 
I  thought  they  were  more  unhappy  than  I,  and  this  idea 
re-idered  me  more  unhappy  even  than  themselves. 

"January  10.  We  have  just  arrived  at  Rio  Janeiro.  The 
coup  d'oeil  of  the  harbor  is  magnificent :  to-morrow  I  shall 
make  a  sketch  of  it.  I  hope  this  letter  will  reach  you  soon. 
Do  not  think  of  coming  to  join  me.  I  do  not  yet  know  where 
I  shall  settle  ;  perhaps  I  shall  find  more  inducements  to  live 
in  South  America  ;  the  labor  to  which,  in  order  to  create 
myself  a  position,  the  uncertainty  of  my  fate  will  compel  me, 
will  be  the  only  consolation  I  shall  enjoy." 

Having  at  length  arrived  at  New  York,  Louis  Napoleon 
there  found  two  of  his  cousins,  Achille  and  Lucien  Murat. 
One  of  these  had  just  received  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the 
army  of  the  United  States,  and  the  other  held  a  lucrative 
civil  appointment.  Louis  Napoleon,  during  his  short  stay  in 
the  land  of  Washington,  employed  himself  in  studying 
American  politics,  institutions,  arts,  and  society.  It  has  been 
asserted  that  his  life  now  became  the  life  of  an  abandoned 
debauchee  ;  that  he  was  overwhelmed  with  want,  and  borrowed 
money  from  all  his  friends,  which  he  never  returned  ;  that  he 
was  even  arrested  for  debt,  and  confined  either  in  the  Tombs 
or  the  Debtor's  Prison  in  Eldridge  street,  in  New  York  ;  and 
that  he  acted  in  every  way  unworthy  of  his  character  and  his 
hopes.  It  is  probable  that  these  stories  are  exaggerated,  and 
that  his  conduct  is  confounded  with  that  of  some  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Bonaparte  family,  who  have  at  different  periods 


OF     NAPOLEON    III.  Tl 

sojourned  in  the  United  States.  It  is  not  probable  that  he 
was  poor,  for  Hortense  possessed  ample  resources,  and  had 
opportunities  of  conveying  funds  to  her  son. 

It  is  nevertheless  true,  that  the  prince  was  fond  of  luxurious 
living,  and  indulged  to  some  degree  in  dissipation  during  his 
t-esidence  in  New  York.  Among  his  favorite  places  of  resort 
was  a  public  saloon  which  flourished  at  that  period  in  Grand 
street,  under  the  superintendence  of  an  abandoned  French 
woman,  named  Mercier.  This  place  was  frequented  by  the 
most  dissipated  adventurers  in  the  city  of  both  sexes,  many 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Europe.  Among  their  number  was 
a  courtezan  of  more  than  ordinary  beauty,  a  native  of 
Bayonne,  who  was  generally  regarded  as  a  Spanish  Jewess. 
Her  name  was  Josephine  Ballabo  ;  and  with  her  the  young 
prince  formed  the  only  liaison  with  which  he  was  reported  to 
have  been  concerned  during  his  short  residence  in  the  United 
States.  He  became  attached  in  no  small  degree  to  the  im- 
passioned and  ardent  Josephine ;  and  when  at  length  he 
parted  from  her,  it  was  with  considerable  regret.  This  event 
took  place  suddenly,  in  consequence  of  the  reception  by  the 
prince  of  a  letter  from  his  mother,  which  induced  him  to 
return  to  Arenemberg.     It  was  as  follows : 

"  I  am  about  to  undergo  an  operation  which  has  become 
absolutely  necessary.  In  case  it  should  not  terminate  suc- 
cessfully, I  send  you,  in  this  letter,  my  blessing.  We  shall 
meet  again — shall  we  not — in  a  better  world,  where  may  you 
come  to  join  me  as  late  as  possible  !  And  you  will  believe 
that,  in  quitting  this  world,  I  regret  only  leaving  yourself, 
and  your  fond,  affectionate  disposition,  which  alone  has  given 
any  charm  to  my  existence.  This  will  be  a  consolation  for 
you,  my  dear  friend — to  reflect  that,  by  your  attentions,  you 
have  rendered  your  mother  as  happy  as  circumstances  would 
allow  her  to  be.  You  will  think  also  of  all  my  affection  for 
rou  ;  and  this  will  inspire  you  with  courage.  Think  upon 
this,  that  we  shall  always  have  a  benevolent  and  distinct 
Reeling  for  all  that   passes   in  this  world   below,  and   that, 


T2  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

assuredly,  we  shall  all  meet  again.  Reflect  upon  this  con- 
solatory  idea  ;  it  is  one  which  is  too  necessary  not  to  be  true. 
And  that  good  Arese  !  I  send  him  my  blessing  as  to  a  son. 
I  press  you  to  my  heart,  my  dear  friend.  I  am  calm,  per- 
fectly resigned  ;  and  I  would  still  hope  that  we  may  meet 
again,  even  in  this  world." 

Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  this  letter  Louis  Napoleon 
embarked  for  Europe,  and  arrived  at  Arenemberg  in  time  to 
render  the  last  offices  of  affection  to  his  dying  mother.  After 
her  death  he  continued  to  reside  at  Arenemberg ;  but  he  was 
an  object  of  great  jealousy  and  mistrust  to  Louis  Philippe. 
He  was  constantly  surrounded  by  vigilant  spies.  At  this 
period  M.  Persigny,  one  of  his  confederates  in  the  affair  of 
Strasburg,  resided  in  England,  and  published  a  plain  and 
truthful  narrative  of  all  the  details  connected  with  the  con- 
spiracy, in  answer  to  the  innumerable  libels  and  caricatures 
which  were  constantly  printed  and  distributed.  The  brochure 
of  M.  Persigny  was  widely  diffused,  and  many  copies  were 
conveyed  into  France  ;  and  M.  Laity,  another  partizan  of 
the  prince,  undertook  to  republish  it  even  in  Paris.  This 
bold  proceeding  at  once  brought  upon  him  the  vengeance  of 
the  government.  Laity  was  arrested,  tried,  convicted,  and 
sentenced,  for  an  attempt  against  the  peace  and  safety  of  the 

state. 

During  the  progress  of  this  trial  Louis  Napoleon  wrote  a 
long  letter  to  M.  Laity,  in  which  he  commends  his  conduct, 
justifies  his  publication,  and  consoles  him  for  his  misfortunes. 
In  the  course  of  this  letter  he  says  :  ' '  But  if,  at  some  future 
day,  parties  overthrow  the  present  government,  (and  the  ex- 
ample of  the  last  fifty  years  permits  us  such  a  supposition,) 
and  if,  accustomed  as  they  have  been,  for  twenty-three  years, 
to  despise  authority,  they  undermine  all  the  bases  of  the  social 
edifice,  then  perhaps  the  name  of  Napoleon  would  prove  an 
anchor  of  safety  for  all  that  is  generous  and  really  patriotic 
in  France."  This  declaration  was  too  distinct  and  unequivo- 
cal to  be  misunderstood.    It  clearly  indicated  that  the  prince 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  13 

still  proposed  and  anticipated  the  overthrow  of  the  Orleans 
dynasty,  at  some  future  and  more  propitious  period. 

The  result  was,  that  Louis  Philippe  immediately  demanded 
from  the  Swiss  government,  the  expulsion  of  the  prince  from 
their  territory,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  solemnly  promised 
to  remain  in  America  for  ten  years,  that  he  had  violated  his  en- 
gagements, and  that  he  was  then  plotting  against  the  security 
of  the  French  government.  The  note  addressed  to  the  Helvetic 
Diet  by  the  Duke  of  Montebello  on  behalf  of  Louis  Philippe, 
set  forth  these  facts,  and  contained  this  demand  ;  but  the 
Cantons  at  once  resisted  the  proposal  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  hostile  to  their  independence.  Louis  Philippe  ordered 
an  armed  demonstration  to  be  made  on  the  frontier  to  over- 
awe the  Cantons.  The  latter  were  not  dismayed,  however, 
but  soon  assembled  twenty  thousand  men  to  defend  the  in- 
tegrity and  freedom  of  their  native  rocks  and  hills.  An  effu- 
sion of  blood  would  doubtless  have  ensued,  which  the  insig- 
nificance of  the  occasion  would  scarcely  have  justified,  had 
not  Louis  Napoleon  adroitly  evaded  the  difficulty  by  volun- 
tarily withdrawing  from  the  Swiss  territory.  He  wrote  a 
letter  to  the  Landamann  Anderwert,  the  president  of  the 
Council  of  Thurgovia,  in  which  he  announced  his  intention 
to  withdraw,  and  added  :  "  In  leaving  voluntarily  at  this  time 
the  only  country  in  Europe  where  I  have  found  support  and 
protection,  in  departing  from  scenes  which  had  become  dear 
to  me  for  so  many  reasons,  I  hope  to  prove  to  the  Swiss 
people  that  I  am  worthy  of  the  marks  of  esteem  and  affection 
which  they  have  lavished  upon  me.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
noble  conduct  of  the  Cantons  that  have  spoken  so  boldly  in 
my  favor,  and  above  all,  the  generous  protection  of  the 
Canton  of  Thurgovia  will  forever  remain  deeply  engraven  on 
my  heart." 

The  policy  of  Louis  Philippe  in  thus  publicly  demanding 

the  expulsion  of  the  prince  from  Switzerland,  was  the  most 

ehort-sighted    which   could    possibly   have    been    pursued. 

Until  that  moment  Louis  Napoleon  had  been  an  adventurer, 

1 


1i  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

without  claims,  and  without  principles,  and  almost  without 
partizans.  The  conduct  of  the  French  king  at  once  gave 
him,  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world,  as  well  as  in  his  own,  an 
acknowledged  importance  He  had  made  an  equal  of  the 
former  despised  refugee,  in  a  great  struggle,  and  in  that 
Btruggle  the  prospect  was  that  the  monarch  would  have  been 
ultimately  defeated.  The  ancient  and  heroic  spirit  of  Wil- 
liam Tell  had  been  aroused  and  re-animated  from  the  grave 
of  centuries,  and  the  struggle  on  the  part  of  the  Swiss  in 
defence  of  their  rights  and  territory,  would  doubtless  have 
been  desperate  and  protracted. 

These  events  took  place  in  September,  1838.  After  the 
departure  of  the  prince  from  Switzerland  Louis  Philippe  re- 
called his  armies,  and  exulted  in  the  withdrawal  of  his  foe,  now 
for  the  first  time  really  made  important  by  his  own  folly ;  the 
Swiss  patriots  returned  to  their  watch-making,  their  chamois 
hunting  in  the  lofty  solitudes  of  the  Upper  Alps,  and  to  their 
farming.  Louis  Napoleon,  the  single  cause  of  all  this  ex- 
citement, quietly  passed  over  to  England,  there  to  await  in 
security,  but  with  little  probability  of  success,  the  advent  of 
more  propitious  times. 

During  his  residence  in  England  the  prince  assumed  a  new 
aspect.  In  suspending  for  a  period  the  yearnings  of  ambi- 
tion, he  seems  to  have  appropriated  the  interval  to  the  grati- 
fication of  his  passions.  This  is  the  portion  of  his  career 
upon  which  it  is  least  attractive  to  dwell,  and  which  is  most 
discreditable  to  his  fame.  For  a  time  all  his  high,  aspiring 
hopes,  his  assiduous  studies  and  labors  for  his  own  improve- 
ment, even  his  personal  character  and  self-respect,  were  ab- 
sorbed and  lost  in  his  devotion  or  abandonment  to  pleasure. 

His  residence  was  at  Carlton  Terrace.  During  the  first 
year  of  his  abode  in  England  he  still  devoted  some  time  to 
study,  and  wrote  and  published  his  work  entitled  :  "  Des 
Idees  Napoleonitnnes,"  or  Thoughts  on  Napoleonism  ;  or, 
in  other  words,  the  establishment  of  the  Napoleonic  Dynasty 
and  power  in  France.     The  purpose  of  this  work  will  be 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  75 

gathered  from  the  following  extract  from  his  preface:  "If 
the  destiny  promised  me  by  my  birth,  had  not  been  changed 
by  events,  nephew  of  the  Emperor,  I  would  have  been  one 
of  the  defenders  of  his  throne,  one  of  the  propagators  of  his 
ideas ;  I  would  have  had  the  glory  of  being  one  of  the  pil- 
lars of  his  throne,  or  of  dying  in  one  of  the  squares  of  his 
guards,  fighting  for  France.  The  Emperor  is  no  more  ;  but 
his  spirit  is  not  dead.  Deprived  of  the  opportunity  of  de- 
fending his  protecting  power  with  the  sword,  I  can  at  least 
try  to  defend  his  memory  with  the  pen.  To  enlighten 
opinions  by  searching  for  the  thought  that  presided  over  his 
lofty  conceptions,  to  recall  to  men's  minds  the  memory  of  his 
vast  projects, — this  is  a  task  which  still  gratifies  my  heart 
and  consoles  me  for  exile.  Fear  of  shocking  contrary 
opinions  shall  not  stay  me  ;  ideas  which  are  under  the  ffigis 
of  the  greatest  genius  of  modern  times  can  be  avowed  with- 
out circumvention  ;  they  cannot  vary  with  the  thermometer 
of  the  political  atmosphere." 

There  is  nothing  either  original  or  remarkable  in  this  book, 
and  it  is  in  itself  devoid  of  all  interest,  except  that  which  is 
derived  from  the  birth  and  subsequent  career  of  its  author. 
He  asserts  that  the  great  object  and  aim  of  the  first  Napoleon 
was  to  guide  France  to  liberty  !  The  absurdity  of  this  de- 
claration will  strike  every  one  ;  for  there  never  existed  a  more 
powerful  and  resistless  despotism  in  any  country  than  that 
exercised  by  the  hero  of  Austerlitz  over  the  French  people. 
So  far  as  material  splendor  was  concerned,  he  increased  and 
diffused  it.  But  so  far  as  true  liberty,  both  of  word  and 
action,  was  concerned,  he  crushed  out  its  last  glimmering 
spark.  Such  "liberty"  as  this,  Napoleon  III.  may  also  be 
said  to  have  bestowed  on  France  in  the  largest  and  most 
abundant  measure,  since  his  assumption  of  the  imperial 
purple.  The  publication  of  his  Ideas  on  Napoleonism  oc- 
cupied but  a  small  portion  of  the  prince's  time  and  attention. 
A  recent  biographer,  whose  whole  work  is  a  tissue  of 
perversions  and  flatteries  of  the  prince,  for  which  he  was  no 


T6  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

doubt  handsomely  rewarded,  thus  describes  and  endeavors  to 
defend  his  conduct  in  England:1  "He  studied  us  through 
ourselves,  as  well  as  through  onr  literature,  and  bv  mingrlinff 
in  general  society,  observing  men,  women,  thoughts,  habits, 
and  institutions,  obtained  in  all  probability  a  more  intimate 
acquaintance  with  our  real  state  and  condition,  than  is  pos- 
sessed by  some  of  those  who  share  in  making  our  laws,  and 
giving  the  tone  to  our  policy,  both  domestic  and  external." 
The  truth  is,  that  the  prince  obtained  just  such  an  ac- 
quaintance with  the  British  nation,  as  any  intelligent  de- 
bauchee might  secure,  who  mingled  intimately  with  all  the 
more  dissipated  classes  of  society ;  with  voluptuous  nobles, 
with  polished  adventurers,  with  horse-jockeys,  gamblers, 
women  of  easy  virtue,  political  desperadoes,  foreign  refugees, 
et  id  omne  genus.  The  British  aristocracy  tolerated  him  in 
their  society,  because  to  this  his  birth  and  associations  en- 
titled him.  His  most  welcome  haunt  among  them  was  at 
Gore  House,  the  residence  of  the  Countess  of  Blessington. 
This  lady  was  celebrated  for  her  beauty  and  her  accomplish- 
ments, both  of  person  and  of  intellect.  Her  saloons  were 
frequented  by  the  most  polished,  the  most  cultivated,  and  the 
most  distinguished  members  of  society.  All  the  beau  monde 
of  the  intellectual  class  constantly  met  at  her  residence. 
Lady  Blessington  herself  had  seen  Queen  Hortense  and  Louis 
Napoleon  in  Italy,  in  1828.  She  had  become  much  attached 
to  the  fallen  queen,  and  felt  an  interest  in  the  fortunes  of  her 
son,  which  ever  after  continued  till  her  death.  At  Gore 
House,  therefore,  the  prince  was  always  a  welcome  guest, 
and  there  was  thrown  into  the  society  of  the  most  distin- 
guished personages  of  the  time  in  England. 

1  See  "Napoleon  III.,  Review  of  his  Life,  Character,  and  Policy,  by  a 
British  Officer,"  London,  1857,  p.  104.  A  careful  reader  of  this  book 
must  come  to  the  deliberate  conclusion  that  it  is  nothing  more  than  a 
State-paper,  prepared  and  issued  by  the  government  of  Louis  Napoleon 
in  his  defence ;  so  utterly  false,  perverted,  unfounded,  and  unfair,  is 
almost  every  statement  contained  in  it  from  beginning  to  end. 


OF    NATOLEON    III  7T 

In  the  summer  of  1840,  he  was  also  invited  by  Lord 
Eglinton  to  attend  the  festivities  of  a  grand  tournament  given 
by  him  at  his  castle  in  Scotland.  The  queen  of  beauty  on 
that  occasion  was  Lady  Seymour.  The  appearance  which 
he  made  among  the  splendid  and  opulent  nobility  who  were 
there  congregated,  was  not  deficient  in  elegance  and  taste. 
But  he  won  no  prizes  in  the  lists. 

While  such  occasional  intercourse  with  the  highest  rank  of 
British  society  adorned  his  career  and  residence  in  England, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  its  general  character  was  much  less 
commendable.    It  may  be  that  the  agony  of  "hope  deferred" 
may  have  at  length  rendered  him  desperate,  and  indifferent 
to  public  opinion.     Certain  it  is,  that  in  London  he  now  led 
the  life  of  a  dissipated  adventurer.     He  visited  the   most 
celebrated  gambling-houses  in  the  metropolis.     He  betted  on 
the  horse-racing  at  New-Market.     He  was  a  frequenter  of 
the  most  fashionable  houses  of  prostitution,  and  spent  days 
and  nights  in  their  drunken,  licentious,  and  boisterous  orgies. 
It  was  in  one  of  these  resorts  that  he  first  met  a  woman 
whose  name  has  since  been  publicly  associated  with  his  own, 
and   whom,   therefore,  it  is   proper  that  the  pen  of  history 
should  notice.     During  the  darkest  and  most  desperate  period 
of  his  career  in  London,  Louis  Napoleon  was  indebted  to 
Mrs.  Howard,  not  only  for  the  solace  of  her  love  and  attach- 
ment, but  also  for  the  means  of  subsistence.     When  he  first 
became  acquainted  with  her,  his  pecuniary  resources  had  be- 
come exhausted,  and  he  was  living  in  straitened  circumstances. 
Mrs.  Howard  was  a  woman  of  great  talent  and  beauty,  and 
possessed  considerable  romance   of  character.     The   career 
and  family  connections  of  the  needy  prince  charmed  her  fancy, 
and  she  was  flattered  with  the  idea  of  becoming  both  his  pro- 
tector, his  cher  amie,  and  his  partisan. 

This  remarkable  woman  deserves  a  word  of  passing  de- 
scription.    If  the  sketches  of  her  career  which  have  been 
published  are  to  be  believed,  she  almost  deserves  the  title  of 
the  Ninon  de  l'Enclos  of  the  present  century.    It  is  said  that 
1* 


73  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

she  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  the  daughter  of  a  small  English 
farmer.  Her  youth  was  passed  in  the  simple  and  healthy 
pursuits  which  naturally  engrossed  her  attention  ;  while  the 
very  superior  personal  charms  which  nature  had  bestowed 
upon  her,  were  ripened  and  developed  by  the  fresh  air,  the 
vigorous  exercise,  and  the  nourishing  food  of  her  native  fields. 
She  received  the  usual  amount  of  elementary  instruction  which 
falls  to  the  lot  of  farmers'  children  in  England  ;  but  she  pos- 
sessed what  was  of  much  more  importance  to  her  than  mere 
book-learning, — great  natural  intelligence,  an  agreeable  and 
vivacious  wit,  womanly  adroitness  and  craft,  together  with 
more  than  ordinary  resolution  and  determination  of  purpose. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  she  met,  at  a  neighboring  fair,  a 
handsome  young  English  nobleman,  whose  fancy  was  imme- 
diately taken  by  her  superior  beauty,  by  the  natural  ease  and 
gracefulness  which  she  possessed,  and  by  her  pleasing  vivacity. 
He  promised  her  the  enjoyment  of  wealth,  luxury,  and  splen- 
dor in  the  capital.  He  pictured  to  her  imagination  scenes 
of  pleasure  and  indulgence,  which  the  simplicity  and  poverty 
of  her  native  hills  rendered  impossible ;  and  he  plead  beside 
all  this,  the  ardor  of  his  own  love.  The  fair  young  girl  was 
flattered  and  attracted  by  the  protestations  of  the  youth,  and 
after  some  hesitation,  resigned  herself  to  his  wishes.  He 
returned  with  her  to  London,  took  apartments  for  her  there, 
and  during  some  months  he  seemed  entirely  devoted  to  his 
beautiful  rural  conquest.  The  rest  of  the  history  of  this 
woman  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  vicissitudes  which  usually 
befall  the  victims  and  the  votaries  of  vice.  Deserted  in  the 
course  of  a  year  by  her  first  love,  Mrs.  Howard  was  thrown 
upon  the  world.  She  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  several 
nobleman  to  whom  the  soi-disant  Colonel  Howard  had  intro- 
duced her  during  the  period  of  their  intimacy.  To  these  she 
now  applied  for  assistance,  nor  was  the  application  in  vain. 
She  was  still  in  the  first  blush  of  her  beauty,  still  young,  still 
gay,  still  fond  of  pleasure  ;  and  what  was  now  of  more  im- 
portance to  her,  she  had  aptly  learned  from  her  seducer  the  airs 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  79 

and  manners  of  aristocratic  and  polished  life,  which  served  con- 
siderably to  enhance  her  charms.  Like  Mrs.  Gordon,  she 
passed,  with  the  progress  of  time,  from  one  admirer  to  another. 
Sometimes  she  lived  in  luxurious  and  lavish  opulence  ;  some- 
times she  was  straitened  for  the  most  necessary  means.  Her 
chief  impediment  to  uniform  prosperity  in  her  precarious  and 
discreditable  course  of  life,  was  the  ardor  and  impetuosity  of 
her  temper.  She  ruled  her  lovers  with  a  rod  of  iron  ;  and 
her  supremacy  usually  ended  after  a  period  of  amorous 
attachment,  in  the  breaking  of  those  chains  which  she  invari- 
ably rendered  too  heavy,  even  though  they  might  have  been 
gilded.  Her  last  lover  was  a  young  nobleman,  who  had,  on 
dissolving  his  connection  with  her,  made  her  the  mistress  of 
an  establishment  of  a  sumptuous  but  questionable  character  in 
the  metropolis  ;  and  it  was  while  thus  situated  that  she  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  the  penniless  aspirer  to  the  ancient  throne 
of  the  Bourbons. 


80  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER   V. 

Louis  Napoleon  in  England — Insurrection  of  Barbes  —  False  Opinions 
as  to  the  State  of  Feeling  in  France  —  The  Affair  of  Boulogne  — 
Want  of  Organization  and  Preparation  in  France  —  Louis  Napoleon 
and  his  Friends  embark  on  the  "  City  of  Edinburgh"  —  Their  Arrival 
on  the  Coast  of  France  —  They  disembark  —  Proclamation  to  the 
Soldiers  — Attempt  to  corrupt  the  Garrison  of  Boulogne  —  Partial 
Success  —  Subequent  Failure — Arrest  of  Louis  Napoleon  and  his 
Associates — Colonel  Puygillier  —  Trial  of  the  Conspirators — Evi- 
dence against  them  —  Eloquence  of  Counsel,  Berryer  and  Ferdinand 
Barrot  —  Conviction  of  the  Prisoners  —  Their  Sentence  —  Louis  Na- 
poleon condemned  to  Imprisonment  for  Life — Fortress  of  Ham  — 
Prevalent  Opinions  in  reference  to  the  Affair  of  Boulogne  —  Its  pecu- 
liar Error  —  Its  advantageous  Results  on  the  subsequent  Fate  of  Louis 
Napoleon. 

Although  Louis  Napoleon  had  in  a  great  measure  aban- 
doned' himself,  as  far  as  his  limited  means  enabled  him  so  to 
do,  to  a  life  of  pleasure,  during  his  residence  in  England,  yet 
he  did  not  wholly  forget  his  former  political  aspirations. 
Ambition  was  not  yet  dead  within  him  ;  though  adverse  cir- 
cumstances, and  probably  the  death  of  his  mother,  had  for  a 
time  weakened  its  power  over  his  mind.  He  was  constantly 
associated  in  London  with  many  Frenchmen,  who  from  time 
to  time  assured  him  of  the  growing  dissatisfaction  of  the 
French  nation  with  their  imbecile  and  perfidious  king.  The 
insurrection  of  Barbes,  which  took  place  in  May,  1839,  was 
a  spark  which  emanated  from  the  great  volcano  which  burned 
with  suppressed,  but  growing,  fury  beneath  the  throne  of 
Louis  Philippe ;  and  that  insurrection  was  a  proof  of  the 
general  state  of  public  feeling  and  discontent.  Louis  Napoleon 
was  charged  with  having  instigated  the  movement  of  Barbes ; 
but  that  charge  was  false.  He  denied  the  imputation  in  the 
public  press ;  and  said,  with  considerable  assumption  of  heroic 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  81 

valor :  "  If  I  were  the  soul  of  a  conspiracy,  I  should  also  be 
the  leader  of  it  in  the  day  of  danger.  I  should  not  deny  it, 
after  its  defeat." 

But  Louis  Napoleon  began  to  weary  of  his  obscure  life  in 
London,  of  his  insignificant  associations  and  pursuits,  of  his 
midnight  dissipations,  and  even  of  the  voluptuous,  though 
tyrannical,  supremacy  of  Mrs.  Howard.  Some  of  the  despe- 
rate French  refugees  then  residing  in  the  English  capital,  suc- 
ceeded in  persuading  the  prince,  that  a  particularly  favorable 
period  had  arrived  for  the  assertion  of  his  claims  ;  and  that  if 
he  then  showed  himself  in  France  the  whole  nation  would  rise 
en  masse  in  his  favor,  would  hurry  him  to  the  summit  of 
power,  and  forever  expel,  perhaps  even  destroy,  the  hated 
Orleans  race.  It  is  singular  that  a  man  possessing  ordinary 
sagacity  should  have  been  so  easily  misled,  both  as  to  the 
state  of  France,  and  as  to  the  means  necessary  to  overthrow 
the  government.  There  was  then  no  organization  or  prepara- 
tion made  for  Louis  Napoleon's  reception.  There  was  no  body 
of  men  with  whom  a  correspondence  had  been  carried  on,  and 
who  were  prepared  to  second  and  complete  the  movement  on 
the  arrival  of  the  Pretender.  Everybody  was  to  be  taken  by 
surprise.  Neither  soldiers,  nor  officers,  nor  citizens,  were  to 
greet  his  presence  by  any  preconcerted  movement.  And  if 
the  affair  of  Strasburg  had  been  badly  managed,  the  affair  of 
Boulogne  was  about  to  be  infinitely  worse.  In  the  former 
instance  there  had  been  concert  of  action,  a  pre-organization 
of  assisting  and  confluent  forces,  a  definite  and  prudent  pro- 
gramme of  anticipated  events,  which  were  to  be  consecutively 
brought  about  and  executed.1 

1  It  is  probable  that  the  strongest  and  most  conclusive  consideration, 
which  misled  Louis  Napoleon  as  to  the  propriety  of  his  moving  at  that 
time  was,  that  a  law  had  recently  passed  the  Chambers  in  favor  of 
bringing  the  remains  of  the  great  Napoleon  from  St.  Helena  to  Paris; 
and  because  the  proposition  was  greeted  with  applause  by  the  whole 
French  nation  and  by  the  press.  The  Prince  de  Joinville  had  been 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  frigate  La  Belle  Poule,  in  order  to 
execute  the  project. 

P 


82  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

But  in  the  Boulogne  movement  there  was  nothing  of  all 
this.  A  desperate  adventurer  was  about  to  throw  himself 
upon  an  astonished  nation  of  thirty  millions  of  people,  whose 
government  had  already  condemned  him  ;  while  in  addition 
to  this,  his  entry  upon  their  forbidden  soil  was  for  the  pur- 
pose of  committing  an  act  for  which  the  law  would  sentence 
him  to  death.  In  a  word,  Louis  Napoleon  was  about  to 
attempt  the  overthrow  of  the  existing  government  of  France 
without  an  army,  without  confederates,  without  any  personal 
character  or  popularity  to  aid  him,  attended  only  by  fifty 
nameless  adventurers,  as  desperate  and  as  imbecile  as  him- 
self! Such  was  the  real  character  of  the  most  absurd  and 
preposterous  movement  ever  undertaken,  either  in  ancient  or 
modern  times.  It  is  not  strange  that  it  ended  in  ignominious 
failure,  and  that  it  covered  the  prince  with  a  universal  flood 
of  ridicule  and  contempt. 

The  necessary  means  for  this  expedition  were  raised  in 
London  by  borrowing  money  at  exorbitant  rates  from  Jews, 
stock-jobbers,  and  speculators.  The  steam-frigate  "  City  of 
Edinburg"  was  chartered  for  the  occasion,  and  she  was 
amply  supplied  with  arms,  ammunition,  liquors,  together 
with  a  live  eagle,  which  was  intended  to  represent  the  victc 
rious  bird  of  the  Empire.  On  the  6th  of  August,  1840,  the 
adventurers  embarked  at  London  ;  and  the  utmost  convi- 
viality prevailed  on  board  during  their  progress  down  the 
Channel.  In  fact,  a  very  large  proportion  of  them  became 
completely  intoxicated.  At  length,  having  approached  the 
coast  of  France  near  Boulogne,  an  officer  of  the  customs  named 
Audinet  discovered  the  mysterious  vessel  when  about  a  mile 
from  shore.  At  first,  he  thought  it  was  an  English  steamer 
waiting  for  dispatches.  But  when  the  officer  perceived  a 
boat  full  of  passengers  detach  itself  from  the  vessel  and  row 
toward  the  shore,  he  hastened  to  the  spot  where  they  were 
about  to  land,  and  hailed  them.  They  answered  that  they 
were  soldiers  of  the  fortieth  regiment  of  the  line,  that  they  were 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  83 

proceeding  from  Dunkirk  to  Cherbourg,  and  wished  to  land 
to  repair  the  broken  wheel  of  their  frigate. 

The  officer  was  satisfied  with  this  story,  and  made  no  fur- 
ther opposition.  Fifteen  soldiers  immediately  landed,  the 
boat  then  returned  to  the  steamer,  and  making  three  succes- 
sive voyages,  conveyed  the  whole  party  to  the  shore.  During 
the  landing,  four  men  who  came  from  Boulogne,  were  greeted 
by  the  conspirators  as  friends,  and  were  immediately  invested 
with  the  uniforms  of  officers.  This  was  the  extent  of  the 
preparation  which  had  been  made  to  receive  and  support  the 
prince.  By  this  time,  Bally,  lieutenant  of  the  customs  at 
Boulogne,  had  been  informed  of  the  arrival  of  the  vessel ; 
and  he  supposed  that  it  was  an  attempt  to  evade  the  sanitary 
laws.  He  hastened  from  Boulogne  to  investigate  the  matter. 
As  he  approached  Vimereux,  a  village  in  the  close  vicinity 
of  the  spot  where  the  landing  took  place,,  he  was  arrested  by 
the  officers  of  Louis  Napoleon,  and  compelled  to  accompany 
them  back  to  Boulogne.  He  was  then  also  informed  of  the 
nature  of  the  movement,  and  was  invited  to  join  the  con- 
spirators, who  assured  him  that  in  a  few  days  the  prince 
would  be  the  absolute  sovereign  of  France.  But  the  as- 
tonished Bally  remained  incredulous,  declined  the  offer,  and 
indignantly  refused  a  handful  of  gold  which  was  tendered 
him.  Yet  was  he  compelled  to  lead  the  way  for  the  detested 
rabble  toward  the  gate  of  the  grand  rue  of  Boulogne.  As 
they  approached,  they  did  their  best  to  shout  Yive  l'Empe- 
reur ;  and  they  cast  loose  from  time  to  time  the  live  eagle  which 
they  carried  with  them,  drawing  him  back  again  by  means  of 
the  cord  attached  ignominiously  to.  his  talons,  whenever  his 
flight  threatened  to  be  too  ambitious.  Soon  the  company  ap- 
proached the  barracks  of  the  forty-second  regiment  of  the 
line,  before  which  the  principle  demonstration  was  to  be 
made.  The  conspirators  were  led  on  by  the  prince,  General 
Montholon,  Colonel  Voison,  Pasquin,  and  Persigny.  Arriving 
at  the  quarters  of  the  regiment,  the  prince  drew  from  his 
pocket  the  following  proclamation,  and  boldly  read  it :  "  Sol- 


84  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

diers  !  France  is  made  to  command,  and  she  obeys.  You 
are  the  elite  of  the  people,  and  you  are  treated  like  a  vile 
herd.  You  are  made  to  protect  the  national  honor,  and  it 
is  against  your  brothers  that  you  turn  your  arms.  Those 
who  rule  you  would  degrade  the  noble  profession  of  soldier. 
You  have  been  indignant,  and  have  asked  yourselves,  'What 
has  become  of  the  eagles  of  Areola,  of  Austerlitz,  of  Jena?' 
Here  are  those  eagles  !  I  restore  them  to  you  :  take  them 
back  :  with  them  you  shall  have  glory,  honor,  fortune,  and 
what  is  more  than  all,  the  gratitude  and  esteem  of  your 
fellow-countrymen. 

"  Soldiers  !  between  you  and  me  there  are  indissoluble 
ties  :  we  have  the  same  objects  of  hatred  and  love,  the  same 
interests  and  the  same  enemies. 

"  Soldiers  !  the  mighty  shadow  of  Napoleon  speaks  to  you 
in  my  voice.  Hasten,  whilst  it  crosses  the  ocean,  to  send 
away  those  traitors  and  oppressors,  and  show  him  at  his  ar- 
rival that  you  are  the  worthy  children  of  the  Grand  Army, 
and  that  you  have  resumed  those  sacred  emblems  which  for 
twenty  years  appalled  the  enemies  of  France,  amongst  whom 
were  those  that  are  ruling  you  to-day. 

"  Soldiers  !  to  arms  !  Vive  la  France!" 

This  proclamation  being  read,  a  considerable  number  of 
the  soldiers  immediately  shouted  Vive  Napoleon!  Lieutenant 
Aladenize  was  particularly  energetic  at  this  crisis,  and  exerted 
himself  to  win  over  the  soldiers,  in  which  purpose  he  was,  to 
some  extent,  successful.  The  next  step  was  to  induce  the 
garrison  of  Boulogne  to  accompany  the  prince  to  St.  Omer, 
and  corrupt  the  troops  there  stationed.  Had  he  succeeded 
in  both  of  these  purposes,  the  consequences  might  perhaps 
have  been  different.  But  at  this  critical  moment  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  garrison,  Colonel  Puygillier,  who  had 
been  attracted  to  the  spot  by  the  commotion,  made  his  ap- 
pearance ;  energetically  denounced  the  prince  and  his  con- 
federates ;  ordered  his  men  with  the  utmost  ferocity  to  return 
to  their  quarters ;  and  thus  succeeded  in  confounding  and 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  85 

eventually  in  destroying  all  the  plans  and  the  partial  success 
of  the  conspirators.  By  this  time,  also,  the  civil  authorities 
of  Boulogne  had  received  information  of  what  had  transpired, 
and  they  were  rapidly  assembling  the  National  Guard. 
Colonel  Puygillier  at  this  moment  peremptorily  ordered  the 
prince  to  leave  the  barracks,  and  the  soldiers  to  drive  out  the 
tonspirators.  They  obeyed.  A  general  stampede  then  began 
tn  the  part  of  the  conspirators  toward  the  shore,  with  the 
design  of  reaching  the  frigate,  which  still  rode  at  anchor 
there.  The  soldiers,  headed  by  Puygillier,  followed  them. 
It  was  a  regular  chase  ;  velocity  of  heels  now  became  an 
affair  of  the  first  consequence  ;  but  the  advantage  of  numbers 
was  in  favor  of  the  pursuers  ;  and  at  the  column  of  Napoleon 
the  fugitives  were  completely  surrounded.  The  prince  then 
exclaimed  :  "All  is  lost;  there  is  nothing  left  but  death  !" 
At  the  same  moment  he  drew  his  pistol,  fired  at  his  assailants, 
and  shot  a  grenadier.  The  fighting  continued  while  the 
parties  were  approaching  the  shore.  By  this  time  a  consider- 
able number  had  been  wounded  and  killed  on  both  sides.  The 
prince  himself  was  slightly  wounded  in  two  places,  and  two 
of  his  officers  were  shot  dead  at  his  side.  At  length  the 
fugitives,  notwithstanding  their  resistance,  were  all  over- 
powered and  captured.  They  were  first  taken  to  the  castle 
of  Boulogne ;  the  next  day  they  commenced  their  journey 
toward  Paris. 

Thus  ended  the  famous  affair  of  Boulogne,  which  resulted 
most  disastrously  to  the  fortunes,  the  reputation,  and  the 
prospects  of  the  future  emperor  of  the  French.  The  frigate 
was  soon  captured  by  the  custom-house  officers,  and  one 
thousand  muskets,  together  with  a  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
were  found  secreted  on  board. 

The  excitement  produced  in  Paris  by  the  affair  of  Boulogne 

was  considerable.    Many  persons  were  arrested  in  the  capital 

whose  attachment  to  the  Bonaparte  cause  was  known.     Even 

harmless  females  fell  beneath  the  vengeance  of  the  government. 

8 


86  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Among  these  was  Madame  Salvage  de  Fogerolles,  formerly 
maid  of  honor  to  Queen  Hortense. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  Louis  Napoleon  was  arraigned 
for  trial  before  the  Chamber  of  Peers.  He  was  defended  by 
M.  Berryer,  the  distinguished  Legitimist  lawyer,  who  was 
celebrated  both  as  a  statesman  and  as  an  advocate.  The 
evidence  against  the  prince  was  perfectly  conclusive.  Besido 
the  two  proclamations  which  he  had  published  to  the  soldiers 
and  to  the  people  of  Boulogne,  there  were  two  others  which 
were  equally  positive  and  unambiguous.  These  were  addressed 
to  the  French  people.  One  of  these  contains  the  following 
language  :  "  What  have  those  who  govern  you  done  to  pos- 
sess any  claim  on  your  love  ?  They  promised  you  peace,  and 
they  have  brought  upon  you  civil  commotions  and  the  disas- 
trous war  of  Africa  ;  they  promised  a  diminution  of  the  taxes, 
and  all  the  gold  you  possess  would  not  glut  their  avidity ; 
they  promised  you  a  pure  administration,  and  they  reign  only 
by  corruption  ;  they  promised  you  liberty,  and  they  protect 
only  privileges  and  abuses  ;  they  promised  you  stability,  and 
in  ten  years  they  have  established  nothing.  In  short,  they 
promised  to  defend  conscientiously  our  honor,  our  rights,  our 
interests,  and  they  have  on  all  occasions  sold  our  honor, 
abandoned  our  rights,  betrayed  our  interests  !  It  is  time  such 
iniquities  should  come  to  an  end  ;  it  is  time  to  go  and  ask 
them  what  they  have  done  with  the*1  grand,  generous,  unani- 
mous France  of  1830  !  Farmers,  they  have  laid  n  you  during 
peace  heavier  taxes  than  Napoleon  ever  demanded  during 
war.  Manufacturers  and  merchants,  your  interests  have  been 
sacrificed  to  foreign  exigencies ;  they  use  the  gold  in  corrup- 
tion which  the  emperor  employed  to  encourage  your  efforts 
and  to  enrich  yourselves  Finally,  all  you  classes,  industrious 
and  poor,  who  are  in  France  the  refuge  of  all  noble  senti- 
ments, remember  that  it  was  amongst  you  Napoleon  chose 
his  lieutenants,  his  marshals,  his  ministers,  his  princes,  his 
friends.  Give  me  your  support,  and  let  us  show  the  world 
that  neither  you  nor  I  have  degenerated. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  8T 

"  I  entertained  a  hope,  as  did  you,  that  without  revolution 
we  might  be  able  to  correct  the  evil  influences  of  the  govern- 
ment ;  but  to-day  no  more  hope.  In  ten  years  they  have 
changed  the  ministry  ten  times  ;  and  they  may  change  it  ten 
times  over  again,  and  the  grievances  and  the  miseries  of  the 
country  would  still  continue  the  same." 

Such  language  indicates  the  purpose  of  treason  as  clearly 
as  language  possibly  can  do.  The  Ottin  proclamation  was, 
however,  still  more  explicit,  and  must  have  excited  the  deri- 
sion of  the  whole  nation,  from  its  astounding  tone  of  arro- 
gance and  confidence. 

"  Prince  Napoleon,  in  the  name  of  the  French  people,  de- 
crees as  follows  : 

"The  dynasty  of  the  Bourbons  of  Orleans  has  ceased  to 
reign. 

"The  French  people  have  resumed  their  rights.  The 
troops  are  released  from  their  oath  of  allegiance.  The 
Chamber  of  Peers  and  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  are  dis- 
solved. 

"A  National  Congress  shall  be  convoked  on  the  arrival  of 
Prince  Napoleon  at  Paris. 

"  M.  Thiers,  President  of  the  Council,  is  appointed,  at 
Paris,  President  of  the  Provisional  Government. 

"  Marshal  Clausel  is  appointed  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  troops  assembled  at  Paris. 

"  General  Pajol  preserves  the  command  of  the  first  military 
division. 

"All  the  commanders  who  will  not  immediately  conform 
with  his  orders  shall  be  removed. 

"All  the  officers,  subalterns,  and  soldiers,  who  will  ener- 
getically display  their  sympathy  for  the  national  cause  shall 
be  nobly  recompensed  in  the  name  of  their  country. 
"  God  protect  France  1 " 

But  the  French  people  refused  to  permit  the  prince  to 
"decree"  in  their  name.  They  could  decree  for  themselves 
without  his  assistance  '     The  specific  charge  made  against 


^8  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  prince  at  this  time  was,  that  on  the  6th  of  August,  1840, 
he  made  an  attempt,  commencing  at  Boulogne,  to  destroy 
or  change  the  government,  to  excite  the  citizens  to  take  up 
arms  against  the  royal  authority,  and  to  kindle  the  flames  of 
civil  war.  The  Chancellor  Pasquier  was  President.  The 
government  was  represented  by  the  Procurator-General  Carre, 
assisted  by  the  Attorney-General  Bouchy,  and  the  Deputies 
Nanquier  and  Glandaz.  Against  all  these  combined  the 
ability  and  eloquence  of  M.  Berryer  was  considered  a  suffi- 
cient counterpoise. 

During  the  course  of  the  trial  the  prince  was  permitted  to 
speak  in  his  own  defence.  He  addressed  the  Chamber  of 
Peers,  composed  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  members  ;  and  it 
was  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  a  large  proportion  of  his 
judges  were  the  former  companions  in  arms  or  members  of 
the  household  of  Napoleon  himself.  During  the  progress  of 
the  interrogatories  which  were  addressed  to  the  prince  by  the 
chancellor,  he  did  not  deny  that  he  had  attempted  to  over- 
throw the  government,  but  justified  his  acts  by  pleading  his 
good  intentions,  and  desire  to  promote  the  welfare  of  France. 
At  the  same  time  he  refused  to  compromise  any  of  his  secret 
confederates.  General  Montholon,  General  Voisin,  MM.  Lom- 
bard and  Persigny,  were  also  interrogated,  with  the  same  re- 
sult. The  witnesses  for  the  prosecution  described  all  that  had 
transpired  at  Boulogne.  The  testimony  of  Major  Puygillier 
was  most  conclusive  of  all.  After  the  examination  of  the 
witnesses  for  the  government  the  procurator-general  addressed 
the  chamber.  His  task  was  an  easy  one  ;  for  never  was  the 
truth  of  any  charge  more  clearly  evident.  The  speech  of  M. 
Berryer  displayed  great  ability.  Fully  conscious  of  the  des- 
perate nature  of  his  client's  position,  who,  if  convicted,  would 
probably  be  condemned  to  death,  he  put  forth  his  utmost 
abilities.  His  oration  was  marked  by  the  peculiarities  which 
usually  characterize  French  forensic  efforts  ;  and  had  it  been 
possible  for  the  judges  to  have  been  deluded  in  reference  to 
the  nature  of  an  act  whose  guilt  was  as  clear  as  the  light  of 


OP    NAPOLEON    ITT.  P9 

the  noonday  sun,  he  had  done  it.  He  assumed  the  position, 
that  after  the  principle  established  in  France  by  the  events  of 
1794,  an  appeal  to  the  nation,  calling  upon  it  to  declare  its 
sentiments  in  reference  to  any  existing  or  proposed  govern- 
ment, was  legitimate  and  not  treasonable  ;  that  this  principle 
had  been  acted  on  by  every  government  which  had  ruled 
France  since  the  death  of  Louis  XVI.,  and  that  such,  and 
such  only,  was  the  basis  and  claim  upon  which  the  govern- 
ment of  Louis  Philippe  itself  rested.  He  concluded  with 
an  able  argument  to  show  that  under  such  circumstances  the 
attempt  of  Louis  Napoleon  was  nothing  more  than  a  legiti- 
mate and  justifiable  appeal  on  his  part  to  the  French  people, 
asking  them  to  decide  for  themselves  what  their  form  of 
government  in  the  future  should  be.  Ferdinand  Barrot  de- 
fended the  rest  of  the  prisoners  with  great  eloquence.  After  he 
had  concluded,  the  procurator-general  summed  up  the  case. 
When  he  ceased,  Louis  Napoleon  made  a  few  remarks,  and 
the  trial  terminated.  The  court  required  some  time  to  delibe- 
rate. Three  days  afterward  the  sentence  was  made  known  upon 
which  they  had  determined.  Louis  Napoleon  was  condemned 
to  imprisonment  for  life  in  a  fortress  situated  within  the 
French  territory ;  Montholon,  Pasquin,  Lombard,  and  Per- 
signy,  to  twenty  years'  imprisonment ;  Mesonan  to  fifteen 
years ;  Dr.  Conneau  to  five  years ;  and  others  to  shorter  pe- 
riods. Four  only  out  of  nearly  fifty  persons  were  acquitted. 
The  fortress  selected  as  the  long  home  of  the  chief  conspi- 
rator, was  the  Castle  of  Ham,  situated  in  the  province  of 
Picardy  in  the  department  of  Somme,  ninety  miles  north-east 
from  Paris. 

There  can  be  but  one  opinion  as  to  the  extreme  folly  which 
characterized  the  conduct  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  the  affair  of 
Boulogne.  It  has  been  urged  in  his  defence  that,  like  the 
attempt  of  Strasburg,  it  was  forced  upon  him  by  the  very 
necessities  of  his  name,  his  nature,  and  his  associations. 
Even  if  this  position  be  granted  ;  even  if  it  be  conceded  that 
his  aspiring  disposition,  and  the  glory  of  the  great  name 
8* 


90     .  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

which  he  had  inherited,  urged  him  with  irrepressible  eager- 
ness to  seek  the  possession  of  superior  power,  he  should  have 
acted  with  greater  circumspection  ;  he  should  not  have  moved 
until  the  ramifications  of  his  conspiracy  extended  throughout 
all  France ;  until  that  conspiracy  had  become  formidable  in 
influence  and  members  ;  and  until  it  bore  some  proportion  in 
its  power  and  resources  to  the  power  and  resources  of  the 
government  which  it  attempted  to  overturn.  The  move- 
ment was  ridiculous  and  merited  contempt,  because  its  or- 
ganization was  such  as  to  render  its  failure  and  the  ruin  of 
its  agents,  inevitable.  The  prince  placed  his  life  and  for- 
tunes on  the  cast  of  a  die,  and  the  chances  against  him  were 
a  thousand  to  one. 

Louis  Napoleon  in  after  years  himself  severely  condemned 
the  enterprises  both  of  Boulogne  and  Strasburg.  In  July, 
1849,  he  visited  Ham,  when  President  of  France;  and  in 
the  address  which  he  then  made  to  the  municipal  authorities 
of  the  town  who  received  him,  he  said  :  "  To-day,  as  by  the 
choice  of  universal  France,  I  have  become  the  legitimate 
chief  of  this  great  nation,  I  cannot  glorify  myself  for  a  cap- 
tivity which  was  the  result  of  an  attack  on  a  regular  govern- 
ment. When  we  see  how  many  evils  even  the  most  just  re- 
volutions bring  in  their  train,  we  hardly  know  what  to  make 
of  the  audacious  man  who  takes  on  himself  the  terrible  re- 
sponsibility of  a  change.  I  do  not  complain  of  having  ex- 
piated here,  by  six  years'  imprisonment,  a  rash  attempt  against 
the  laws  of  my  native  land." 

Such  a  concession  does  little  credit  to  its  author.  He  knew 
just  as  well  in  1840,  as  in  1849,  that  his  conspiracy  was  rash, 
that  it  must  lead  to  great  evils  and  miseries,  and  that  hr 
deserved  a  penalty  much  more  severe  than  he  had  received. 

The  attempts  of  Strasburg  and  Boulogne,  though  in  both 
cases  they  covered  their  author  with  universal  derision,  and 
failed  in  accomplishing  their  intended  object,  may  still  be 
said  to  have  been  in  some  respects  useful  to  the  prospects  of 
Louis  Napoleon.     They  at  least  prevented  him  from  being 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  91 

forgotten  both  by  the  French  people  and  by  Europe.  They 
gave  him  widely-extended  notoriety.  They  even  secured  him 
what  was  of  much  more  value,  political  consequence  and  im- 
portance. They  caused  his  name  and  person  to  be  recog- 
nized as  the  chief  representatives  of  a  great  political  prin- 
ciple and  party,  which,  though  not  then  sufficiently  organized 
and  consolidated  as  to  render  them  successful  in  overturning  the 
existing  government  in  France,  might  possibly  become  so  in 
the  progress  of  time,  and  might  occupy  a  place  among  the 
various  vicissitudes  to  which  the  versatile,  changeable,  and 
excitable  people  of  France  were  liable  in  the  future.  Yiewed 
in  this  light,  these  ignominious  failures  were  not  entirely  pre- 
judicial to  the  interests  of  their  author.  Their  influence  on 
the  events  of  the  Revolution  of  1848  may  have  been  decisive. 
The  unchanging  devotion  of  the  prince  to  the  cause  which  he 
represented,  may  have  won  the  admiration  of  France,  over 
prone  to  the  glorification  of  Napoleonism.  Without  these 
movements  he  might  have  been  forgotten,  and  the  cause 
might  have  suffered  under  the  most  ruinous  of  all  disadvan- 
tages,—  the  supposed  absence  and  want  of  a  great  leader. 
The  French  people  were  taught  to  believe  that,  if  Louis 
Napoleon  was  rash,  foolish  and  precipitate,  he  was  at  the 
Bame  time  brave,  chivalrous,  and  constant  to  the  triumph  of 
a  noble  enterprise,  and  the  glory  of  an  immortal  name. 


92  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Origin  and  History  of  the  Fortress  of  Ham  —  Its  situation  and  appear- 
ance— Louis  Napoleon  conveyed  thither — His  rigorous  treatment — 
His  Protest  to  the  French  Government — Removal  of  Napoleon's  Re- 
mains from  St.  Helena — Louis  Napoleon  Writes  and  Publishes  hia 
"  Historical  Fragments  ;"  his  Considerations  sur  la  Question  des  Sucres  ; 
his  "  Extinction  of  Pauperism" — The  "Canal  Napoleon  de  Nicaragua" 
—  The  Prince  desires  to  visit  his  Dying  Father  —  The  Request  Re- 
fused—  He  determines  to  Escape  from  Ham  —  The  Astuteness  and 
Ability  of  the  Plan  adopted — The  Prince's  Costume — He  Leaves  hia 
Prison  and  evades  the  Scrutiny  of  the  Guards — Adroitness  of  Tbelan 
— The  Prince  reaches  Valenciennes,  Brussels,  Ostend,  England — The 
Skilful  proceedings  of  Dr.  Conneau —  The  Astonishment  and  Terror 
of  the  Commandant — The  Prince  refused  Passports  to  Florence  by 
the  Tuscan  Minister. 

The  fortress  of  Ham,  which  was  destined  to  be  the  abode 
of  Louis  Napoleon  during  six  long  and  cheerless  years,  is  one 
of  the  most  interesting  monuments  of  mediaeval  and  feudal 
architecture  in  France.  The  name  itself  is  probably  derived 
or  corrupted  from  the  old  Teutonic  heim,  signifying  home  ; 
and  the  existence  of  the  word  can  be  traced  as  far  back  aa 
the  Frankish  invasion.  In  the  ninth  century  Ham  was  the 
capital  of  a  small  territory,  known  by  the  epithet  Hamois. 
The  founder  of  the  family  of  Ham  is  supposed  to  have  been 
Duke  Simon,  who  lived  in  the  latter  portion  of  the  tenth 
century.  That  family  became  extinct  in  the  person  of  John 
IV.,  who  died  in  1375.  The  lordship  of  Ham  has  belonged, 
during  the  progress  of  successive  centuries,  to  many  illustrious 
families,  among  which  have  been  those  of  Luxemburg, 
D'Enghien,  Rohan,  Navarre,  and  Vendome. 

The  fortress  is  surrounded  by  a  town,  which  has  been  often 
taken  and  retaken  during  the  many  wars  which  have  repeat- 
edly desolated  the  country.     In  1411  it  was  captured  and 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  93 

burned  by  the  Duke  of  Burgundy.  Luxemburg  reduced  it 
in  1423.  The  battle  of  St.  Quentin,  in  1551,  placed  it  in 
the  possession  of  the  Spaniards.  It  was  restored  again  to 
France  by  the  treaty  of  Carabresis  in  1558.  Some  portions 
of  this  fortress  are  very  ancient.  A  wall  still  remains  which, 
for  a  thousand  years,  has  resisted  the  countless  shocks  and 
storms  of  time.  But  the  larger  part  of  the  present  castle 
dates  from  the  year  1470,  when  the  Duke  of  Luxemburg,  then 
Constable  of  France,  reared  it  upon  the  foundations  of  the 
preceding  structure.  Its  great  tower  ascends  to  the  height 
of  a  hundred  feet ;  it  is  a  hundred  feet  in  diameter ;  and  it 
boasts  of  walls  thirty  feet  in  thickness.  Its  master,  on  its 
completion,  inscribed  upon  its  loftiest  battlement  the  words  : 
Mon  Mieux,  My  Best ;  as  indicating  the  great  confidence 
which  he  reposed  in  its  strength  and  impregnability.  Yet 
his  boast  was  vain  ;  for  he  was  shortly  afterward  delivered  by 
a  stratagem  into  the  hands  of  his  offended  king,  Louis  XL, 
and  beheaded  on  the  Place  de  Greve.  The  chief  purpose  to 
which  the  fortress  has  been  appropriated  in  modern  times,  is 
that  of  a  state-prison.  Its  most  recent  occupants  of  distinc- 
tion, in  addition  to  Louis  Napoleon,  have  been  Polignac, 
Peyronnet,  and  other  ministers  of  Charles  X.,  who,  after  the 
fall  of  their  master  in  1830  expiated  within  its  walls  some 
of  their  follies  and  their  crimes. 

The  appearance  of  this  fortress  forcibly  reminds  the  intel- 
ligent observer  of  the  distant  times  of  feudal  tyranny  and 
splendor.  Its  lofty  battlements  ascend  far  above  the  summit 
of  the  eminence  on  which  they  repose.  Its  shape  is  square, 
and  its  four  angles  are  flanked  with  immense  towers.  It  has 
but  one  entrance,  which  is  in  the  north-eastern  wall,  and  this 
is  protected  by  a  strong  square  tower.  The  ramparts  are 
washed  on  the  southern  and  eastern  sides  by  the  canal  of  St. 
Quentin,  and  the  river  Somme.  Within  the  quadrangle  two 
brick  buildings  of  modern  date  serve  both  as  barracks  and 
as  prisons.  One  of  the  latter  is  a  low,  miserable  edifice, 
which  is  entirely  overshadowed  by  the  massive  walls  of  the 


94  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

battlements  which  surround  it.  Here  it  was  that  the  dis- 
comfited hero  of  Strasburg  and  Boulogne  was  condemned  to 
an  imprisonment  for  life. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1840,  at  midnight,  the  prince  was 
ordered  to  enter  a  carriage,  and  under  the  escort  of  a  colonel 
of  the  Municipal  Guards,  he  was  conveyed  from  Paris  to  his 
destined  prison.  The  apartments  assigned  him  were  those 
which  had  been  previously  occupied  by  M.  de  Polignac. 
They  were  in  a  dilapidated  condition,  the  ceiling  was  full 
of  holes,  the  floor  was  uneven  and  broken,  the  doors  and 
windows  were  rotten  and  unfit  to  exclude  the  severity  of  the 
weather.  Repairs  were  absolutely  necessary,  and  the  govern- 
ment of  Louis  Philippe,  after  very  considerable  hesitation  and 
difficulty,  became  strangely  liberal,  and  allowed  the  sum  of  a 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars  to  be  appropriated  to  the  im- 
provement and  embellishment  of  the  abode  of  the  representa- 
tive of  Napoleon  !  His  daily  expenses  were  fixed  at  the 
moderate  sum  of  seven  francs.  M.  Landenois,  an  officer 
whom  the  great  Corsican  had  himself  promoted  at  Montereau, 
regulated,  and  as  much  as  possible  curtailed  the  personal 
expenditure  of  the  prince.  The  garrison  consisted  of  four 
hundred  men,  sixty  of  whom  were  constantly  on  duty,  watch- 
ing the  exterior  as  well  as  the  interior  of  the  fortress.  In 
addition  to  these  there  were  a  large  number  of  doorkeepers, 
turnkeys,  and  guards,  to  whom  the  care  of  the  prison  was 
particularly  entrusted.  The  commandant  of  the  fortress  was 
M.  de  Marie.  This  individual,  though  polite  and  courteous, 
was  a  most  vigilant  and  inexorable  disciplinarian.  He  treated 
his  prisoner  with  great  politeness,  but  at  the  same  time  did 
his  best  to  prevent  his  escape. 

During  the  first  few  months  of  Louis  Napoleon's  captivity 
he  was  very  closely  and  rigidly  watched.  He  was  allowed, 
at  stated  times,  to  walk  on  the  ramparts  through  a  space  forty 
yards  in  length  and  twenty  in  breadth.  During  this  interval 
he  was  attended  by  numerous  sentinels  at  a  distance,  and  a 
special  keeper  constantly  followed  him  closely  at  his  heels. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  95 

He  was  allowed  to  retain,  as  his  valet  de  chambre,  his  favorite 
body-servant,  Charles  Thelin,  who  had  attended  him  during 
his  whole  life.  This  person  was  as  closely  imprisoned  as 
if  he  himself  had  been  condemned  for  some  grave  offence. 
The  soldiers  were  forbidden,  on  pain  of  four  days'  confinement 
in  the  guard-house,  to  honor  the  prince  with  the  military 
salute  ;  yet  it  deserves  to  be  noted  that  sometimes  they  braved 
the  threatened  penalty,  and  not  seldom  the  subdued  sound  of 
Vive  V Empereur  !  was  heard  from  their  ranks.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem,  the  very  same  soldiers  to  whom  the  custody  and 
defence  of  the  fortress  were  then  entrusted  belonged  to  the 
forty-sixth  regiment  of  the  line,  which  had  been  present  and 
had  taken  part  in  the  conspiracy  of  Strasburg. 

But  soon  the  fears  which  the  government  entertained  of  the 
man  to  whom  they  alone  had  given  importance,  became  mag- 
nified, and  the  treatment  which  he  received  in  his  prison- 
house  was  more  rigorous.  To  such  an  extreme  was  this 
severity  carried,  that  it  drew  from  Louis  Napoleon  a  protest, 
in  which  he  speaks  as  follows  : 

"During  the  first  months  of  my  captivity  every  kind  of 
communication  from  without  was  forbidden,  and  within  I  was 
kept  in  the  most  rigorous  confinement.  Since,  however, 
several  persons  have  been  admitted  to  communicate  with  me, 
these  internal  restrictions  can  have  no  longer  an  object ;  and 
yet  it  is  precisely  since  they  have  become  useless  that  they  are 
more  rigorously  enforced. 

"All  the  provisions  for  the  supply  of  my  daily  wants  are 
subjected  to  the  most  rigid  scrutiny. 

"  The  attentions  of  my  single  faithful  servant,  who  has  been 
permitted  to  follow  me,  are  encumbered  with  obstacles  of 
every  description.  Such  a  system  of  terror  has  been  established 
in  the  garrison  and  among  the  officers  in  the  castle,  that  no 
individual  dares  raise  his  eyes  towards  me  ;  and  it  requires 
even  extraordinary  boldness  to  be  commonly  polite. 

"How  can  it  be  otherwise,  when  the  simplest  civility  of 
look  is  regarded  as  a  crime,  and  when  all  those  who  would 


96  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

wish  to  soften  the  rigors  of  my  position,  without  failing  in 
their  duty,  are  threatened  with  being  denounced  to  the  autho- 
rities, and  with  losing  their  places.  In  the  midst  of  this  France, 
which  the  head  of  my  family  has  made  so  great,  I  am  treated 
like  an  excommunicated  person  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
Every  one  flies  at  my  approach,  and  all  fear  my  touch,  as  if 
my  breath  were  infectious. 

"  This  insulting  inquisition,  which  pursues  me  into  my  very 
chamber,  which  follows  my  footsteps  when  I  breathe  the  fresh 
air  in  a  retired  corner  of  the  fort,  is  not  limited  to  my  person 
alone,  but  is  extended  even  to  my  thoughts.  My  letters  to 
my  family,  the  effusions  of  my  heart,  are  submitted  to  the 
strictest  scrutiny." 

In  consequence  of  this  appeal  some  of  the  rigors  of  his 
captivity  were  softened.  His  valet,  Thelin,  was  permitted  to 
visit  the  town  of  Ham,  and  execute  such  commissions  for  his 
master  as  he  might  desire.  The  prince  was  allowed  to  receive 
the  visits  of  those  who  wished  to  pay  him  their  respects. 
Among  these,  on  several  occasions,  it  may  be  proper  to 
mention,  was  the  beautiful  and  heroic  Madame  Gordon,  whose 
admiration  of  the  prince  and  whose  devotion  to  his  cause,  had 
not  been  diminished  either  by  the  lapse  of  time,  or  by  the 
vicissitudes  of  fortune. 

The  effect  which  confinement  produced  on  the  mind  of 
Louis  Napoleon,  was  a  very  beneficial  one.  It  compelled 
him  to  revert  to  those  habits  of  study  which  had  formerly 
occupied  him.  He  divided  his  time  between  writing,  read- 
ing, gardening,  and  his  exercises.  After  rising  in  the 
morning  he  studied  till  ten  o'clock.  Then  he  breakfasted. 
After  breakfast  he  walked  half  an  hour  on  the  parapet  of  the 
fortress.  Then  he  devoted  some  time  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
flowers  which  he  had  planted  in  some  earth  along  the  ramparts. 
He  thus  thought  himself  another  Picciola  ;  and  was  more  for- 
tunate than  that  captive,  because  his  flowers  and  vegetables 
were  undisturbed  by  his  jailors.  After  an  hour  spent  in  tend- 
ing his  garden,  he  returned  to  his  apartment,  wrote  letters, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  91 

studied  and  read*  until  dinner.  After  dinner  he  engaged  in 
conversation  with  his  companions  in  captivity ;  and  the  even- 
ing was  passed  in  the  game  of  whist,  in  which  General  Mon- 
tholon,  Dr.  Conneau,  the  prince,  and  the  commandant  of 
the  fortress  took  part.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  brave 
and  stern  Cerberus  who  guarded  with  great  severity  and  rigor 
every  outlet  of  the  castle  during  the  day,  after  having  locked 
up  everybody  and  everything  for  the  night,  put  his  keys  in 
his  pocket,  throw  off  his  fierce  visage,  repair  to  the  apartment 
of  the  prince,  and  spend  the  evening  with  him  in  the  most 
cordial  and  friendly  conviviality. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1840,  the  ashes  of  Napoleon 
touched  the  soil  of  France.  On  the  15th  of  the  following 
month  they  were  deposited  with  ceremonies  of  gorgeous  mag- 
nificence, with  martial  and  funereal  splendor,  beneath  the 
sublime  dome  of  the  Hotel  des  Invalides.  The  Parisians 
were  wild,  as  is  their  wont,  with  insane  enthusiasm  and  rap- 
ture, without  being  able  to  give  a  rational  cause  or  reason 
for  their  frenzy.  In  the  solitude  of  his  prison  Louis  Napoleon 
penned  a  rhapsody  on  the  Emperor's  return  to  France,  which 
requires  a  very  great  stretch  of  poetical  license  to  render 
either  tolerable  or  intelligible. 

But  the  restless  captive  found  his  most  congenial  and  satis- 
factory pursuits  in  study.  He  wrote  occasional  communi- 
cations for  the  Propagateur  du  Pas-de-  Calais,  a  newspaper 
edited  by  his  friend  De  George.  In  May,  1841,  he  pub- 
lished his  "  Historical  Fragments. "  The  object  of  this  work 
was  to  controvert  the  position  assumed  by  M.  Guizot  in  his 
History  of  the  English  Revolution,  that  there  was  a  close 
and  complete  parallel  between  that  Revolution  in  1688,  and 
the  French  Revolution  of  1830  ;  that  William  of  Orange  re- 
sembled Louis  Philippe  in  his  aims  and  purposes,  and  even 
in  his  character  ;  and  that  as  the  English  consolidated  their 
liberties  by  accepting  and  authorizing  the  foreign  prince,  so 
also  would  the  French,  by  forever  adhering  to  the  younger 
and  intrusive  branch  of  the  house  of  Bourbon.  There  never 
9  G 


98  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

was  a  greater  absurdity  uttered,  than  that  defended  in  this 
parallel  of  Guizot.  As  was  Hyperion  to  a  satyr,  such  was 
William  of  Orange  to  Louis  Philippe;  and  the  task  of 
Louis  Napoleon  in  exposing  the  fallacy  of  the  ridiculous 
and  preposterous  position  of  the  minion  of  the  money-bag 
king,  was  very  easy.  He  clearly  showed  that  there  was  the 
utmost  diversity  of  character  and  conduct  between  the  two 
monarchs,  both  before  and  after  their  accession  to  the  throne. 
Nor  is  it  easy  to  discover  a  more  lamentable  instance  in  which 
great  talents  have  been  basely  prostituted  to  the  defence  and 
glorification  of  the  most  ignoble  and  unworthy  objects,  than 
the  devotion  of  Guizot  to  the  fortunes,  the  fame,  and  the 
person  of  Louis  Philippe. 

The  prince  sent  a  copy  of  his  Historical  Fragments  to  the 
literary  veteran,  Chateaubriand  ;  and  received  from  him  the 
following  reply  : 

"Prince:  In  the  midst  of  your  misfortunes,  you  have 
studied  with  as  much  sagacity  as  power  the  causes  of  a  revo- 
lution which,  in  modern  Europe,  has  opened  the  way  to  the 
calamities  of  monarchy.  Your  love  of  liberty,  your  courage, 
and  your  sufferings,  would  give  you  every  claim  in  my  eyes, 
only  that  to  be  worthy  of  your  esteem,  I  must  remain  as 
faithful  to  the  misfortunes  of  Henry  Y.  as  I  am  to  the  glory 
of  Napoleon. 

"Allow  me,  prince,  to  thank  you  for  the  extreme  honor 
you  have  done  me  in  quoting  my  name  in  your  fine  work. 
This  precious  testimony  of  your  recollection  penetrates  me 
with  the  most  lively  gratitude." 

In  1842  Louis  Napoleon  published  his  Considerations 
sur  la  Question  des  Sucres,  or  Analysis  of  the  Sugar  Ques- 
tion. The  object  of  this  book  was  to  convince  the  French 
government  and  people  of  the  importance  of  encouraging  the 
manufacture  of  domestic  sugar  from  the  beet-root,  by  in- 
creasing the  tariff  on  the  colonial  and  foreign  sugar  produced 
from  the  cane.  He  examines  the  whole  subject  both  as  a 
chemist,  as  a  political  economist,  and  as  a  statesman,  and 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  99 

discusses  fully  the  various  conflicting  interests  of  the  citizens 
of  the  metropolis,  of  the  colonists,  of  the  producers,  of  the 
consumers,  and  of  the  treasury. 

The  next  production  of  the  prince  was  the  L1  Extinction 
de  la  Pauperisme.  The  object  of  this  work  was  to  suggest 
plans  for  the  relief  and  happiness  of  the  suffering  and  des- 
titute classes  of  society,  and  to  propose  the  most  efficient 
methods  of  extending  the  advantages  of  civilization  to  those 
who  are  deprived  of  them.  This  work  displays  considerable 
power  of  thought  and  reflection.  It  was  adapted  to  secure 
the  favor  of  the  working  classes  in  the  capital  and  through- 
out France,  among  whom,  in  a  cheap  form,  it  was  gratui- 
tously distributed  in  immense  numbers  at  a  subsequent 
period.  After  the  publication  of  this  work,  the  prince 
commenced  another,  entitled:  "The  Past  and  Future  of 
Artillery. "  He  intended  to  complete  it  in  five  large  volumes, 
accompanied  with  engravings  ;  and  he  was  engaged  upon  its 
composition  when  other  matters  of  more  immediate  and  press- 
ing importance  suspended  his  labors. 

The  publication  of  these  different  works  attracted  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  attention  to  their  author.  His  reputa- 
tion was  not  confined  to  the  limits  of  his  native  country. 
We  do  not  suppose  that  his  writings,  had  they  emanated  from 
a  person  possessing  an  obscure  and  unknown  name,  would 
have  gained  for  the  author  much  reputation,  or  any  eminence 
in  the  republic  of  letters.  Like  thousands  of  other  works 
marked  by  a  moderate  share  of  ability  which  are  yearly  issued 
from  the  press,  they  would  have  had  an  ephemeral  import- 
ance, and  would  then  probably  have  been  forgotten.  Thus  his 
"Ideas  of  Napoleonism"  was  but  little  read  or  noticed  on 
its  first  publication,  and  long  continued  to  lay  dead  and  un- 
known ;  but  after  its  author  had  mounted  the  imperial  throne, 
the  work  was  suddenly  discovered  to  possess  extraordinary 
profundity  and  value. 

One  of  the  consequences  of  the  publication  of  the  prince's 
writings  was  that  Senor  Castellan,  the  minister  of  the  States 


100  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

of  Central  America  to  the  Court  of  Louis  Philippe,  invited 
Louis  Napoleon,  in  1844,  in  case  his  liberty  was  again  restored 
to  him,  to  pass  the  rest  of  his  life  in  that  country.  He  was 
also  requested  to  superintend  the  construction  of  a  railroad  or 
Bhip-canal,  which  had  been  projected  across  the  isthmus  of 
Darien,  and  thus  to  unite  together  the  two  oceans.  Senor 
Castellan  visited  the  prince  in  his  prison  and  conferred  with 
him  on  the  subject.  The  latter  was  pleased  with  the  idea, 
and  would  have  acquiesced  in  the  proposal,  and  placed  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  enterprise.  A  few  months  later,  he 
was  officially  informed  by  the  government  of  Nicaragua,  that 
he  had  been  elected  president  of  the  proposed  company,  and 
that  the  work  itself  should  be  named  in  his  honor,  the  Canal 
Napoleone  de  Nicaragua.  Senor  de  Marcoleta,  Charge 
d' Affairs  of  Nicaragua  to  Belgium  and  Holland  visited  the 
prince  at  Ham,  according  to  the  instructions  of  his  govern- 
ment, and  concluded  a  treaty  or  contract  with  the  prince, 
conferring  on  him  full  powers  to  act  as  head  of  the  enterprise, 
and  definitely  settling  all  the  details  of  the  business  ;  but  he 
was  never  destined  to  accomplish  the  task.  In  August,  1845, 
the  health  of  his  father,  the  ex-king  of  Holland,  began  to 
decline ;  and  he  desired  to  have  his  only  remaming  son  near 
his  person  during  his  last  hours.  Louis  Napoleon  had  now 
been  a  captive  during  five  years,  and  as  there  was  no  prospect  of 
his  speedy  release,  his  father  sent  M.  Poggioli,  a  confidential 
agent,  to  Paris,  to  lay  before  the  ministers  of  Louis  Philippe 
the  request  that  his  son  might  be  permitted  to  join  him. 
The  matter  was  proposed  to  Marshal  Soult,  President  of  the 
Council ;  to  Guizot,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs ;  to  Duchatel, 
Minister  of  the  Interior.  The  prince  himself  sent  a  letter  to 
the  last  named  minister,  preferring  the  same  request,  and 
promising  solemnly  that  if  he  were  permitted  to  go  to 
Florence,  the  residence  of  "his  father,"  he  would  return 
again  to  his  prison  at  any  moment  the  government  might 
direct  him  so  to  do. 

Louis  Napoleon  was  informed  by  M.  Duchatel  that  the 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  101 

favor  which  he  requested  was  in  substance  a  pardon,  and  a 
pardon  could  only  emanate  from  the  clemency  of  the  king. 
The  prince  accordingly  addressed  a  letter  directly  to  Louis 
Philippe  on  the  14th  of  January,  1846,  which  was  presented 
to  his  majesty  by  the  son  of  Marshal  Ney,  now  known  as  the 
Prince  of  Moscow.  The  king  pretended  to  acquiesce ;  but 
the  ministers  insisted  that,  before  the  permission  was  granted 
the  prince  should  acknowledge  his  faults,  and  that  the  pardon 
should  be  conferred  and  received  as  an  act  of  grace.  In  other 
words,  an  attempt  was  made  by  Louis  Philippe  both  to  gain 
the  popularity  which  the  pardon  of  the  prince  would  secure  him, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  humble  and  degrade  him  as  a  self-con- 
fessed criminal,  and  obtain,  in  substance,  a  direct  renunciation 
on  his  part  of  all  claim  or  pretension  to  the  throne  of  France. 
This  renunciation  the  prince  was  unwilling  to  make  ;  nor  was 
he  disposed  to  incur  the  ignominy  which  any  acknowledgment 
of  former  guilt  on  his  part  would  entail  upon  him.  He  replied 
with  great  propriety,  that  he  had  resolved  to  die  in  prison 
rather  than  make  any  acknowledgment  which  would  degrade 
his  character,  or  would  injure  the  prospects  and  compromise 
the  rights  of  the  cause  which  he  represented.  He  asserted 
that  for  six  years  he  had  endured  without  complaint  the  rigors 
of  a  penalty  which  he  had  incurred  by  his  faithful  devotion  to 
that  cause  ;  and  he  possessed  still  the  consolation  of  knowing 
that  his  honor  was  untarnished.  His  duty  to  his  father  urged 
him  to  hasten  to  his  bedside.  He  had  done  everything  in  his 
power  honorably  to  obtain  his  enlargement,  and  permission 
to  perform  that  duty.  Having  failed  in  obtaining  that  per- 
mission, he  was  completely  justified  and  excused. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  when  the  prince  determined  to 
obtain  his  freedom,  if  possible,  by  other  means.  His  plan 
was  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  his  keepers  and  escape.  Some 
repairs  which  were  being  made  in  the  castle  of  Ham  at  that 
period,  fortunately  furnished  an  opportunity  for  the  exercise 
of  adroitness  and  resolution,  in  the  planning  and  execution  of 
the  scheme.  The  excuse  urged  by  the  prince  to  his  confidants 
9* 


102  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

for  attempting  his  escape  was  that  lie  might  attend  the  sick 
bed  of  his  father.  But  we  believe  this  to  have  been  merely 
a  pretended  reason  :  Louis  Napoleon  well  knew  that  the  ex- 
King  of  Holland  was  probably  not  his  father ;  and  the  fact 
that  he  did  not  really  pay  the  least  regard  to  his  alleged 
parent,  after  his  escape  from  the  fortress  had  been  effected, 
—the  fact  that  he  immediately  directed  his  steps  not  toward 
Florence  but  toward  London,  clearly  proves  that  he  had  no 
sincere  desire  to  visit  the  former  husband  of  Hortense,  with 
whom,  during  her  lifetime,  she  had  been  constantly  and 
bitterly  at  variance. 

The  prince  arranged  his  method  of  escape  with  his  astute 
companion  in  captivity,  Dr.  Conneau,  and  he  was  materially 
aided  by  his  faithful  valet-de-chambre,  Charles  Thelin.  The 
prince  was  to  pretend  to  be  ill,  to  keep  his  bed  for  several 
days  ;  while  the  doctor  exercised  his  anatomical  ingenuity  in 
fabricating  the  figure  of  a  false  prince,  which  was  destined  to 
play  an  important  part  in  the  events  which  were  about  to 
transpire. 

In  truth  the  plot  was  devised  and  executed  with  much 
ability ;  and  the  conduct  of  Louis  Napoleon  on  this  occasion 
affords  the  first  glimmer  or  exhibition  of  those  superior 
powers  of  combination  and  of  arrangement  which  afterward 
characterized  his  life,  and  ensured  his  subsequent  successes. 
The  secret  of  all  his  triumphs  has  been,  and  is,  his  long, 
careful,  concentrated  study  and  pre-arrangement  of  the 
details  of  any  attempt.  When  he  thus  labors  to  bring  about 
any  result,  he  succeeds.  Whenever,  on  the  contrary,  he  acts 
upon  impulse,  he  inevitably  fails.  He  possesses  none  of  the 
brilliant,  rapid,  resistless  and  decisive  genius  of  the  great 
Napoleon,  who  accomplished  wonders  by  bold  and  sudden 
movements,  upon  which  no  other  man  would  have  ventured. 
Louis  Napoleon's  talents  fit  him  to  excel  in  careful  and  ela- 
borate planning,  in  mysterious  and  impenetrable  secrecy,  in 
unwavering  perseverance  and  determination.  Strasburg 
and  Boulogne  were  instances  of  his  sudden  and  impulsive 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  103 

action,  and  they  were  ignominious  failures.  His  escape  from 
Ham  and  the  coup  d'etat,  were  exhibitions  of  his  capacity 
for  cautious  and  elaborate  plotting  ;  and  they  were  signal  and 
magnificent  triumphs.  Another  illustration  of  the  latter  de- 
scription was  his  agency  in  bringing  about  the  Crimean  war, 
whose  final  issue  also  added  to  his  celebrity,  and  served  to 
consolidate  his  power. 

The  escape  of  Louis  Napoleon  from  the  fortress  of  Ham 
was  aided  by  the  fact  that  the  commandant  and  his  soldiers 
had  gradually  imbibed  the  impression  that  the  prisoner  did 
not  wish  to  escape.  Three  keepers  were  charged  with  the 
immediate  surveillance  of  his  person.  Two  of  these  were 
alway&  stationed  at  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  which  were  the 
immediate  outlet  to  his  apartments.  One  of  these  keepers, 
at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  was  usually  absent  from  his 
post  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  procure  the  daily  newspapers. 
No  person  was  allowed  to  enter  the  fortress,  and  the  utmost 
scrutiny  was  exercised  over  every  one  who  wished  to  go 
out.  A  total  disguise  alone  would  enable  the  prisoner  to 
escape ;  and  that  was  the  expedient  which  he  determined  to 
adopt.  He  proposed  to  assume  the  garb  of  one  of  the  work- 
men who  were  then  repairing  the  fortress,  and  to  pass  out 
with  them. 

All  the  arrangements  were  completed  by  Saturday,  May 
23d,  1846;  but  the  execution  of  them  was  postponed  until 
Monday  the  25th.  Shortly  after  five  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  draw-bridge  was  lowered,  and  the  workmen  entered  the 
fortress  between  two  files  of  soldiers.  They  were  not  as 
numerous  as  usual,  and  there  were  no  joiners  among  them. 
This  was  unfortunate,  as  it  was  in  the  garb  of  a  joiner  that  the 
prisoner  intended  to  attempt  his  escape.  Early  in  the  morning, 
he,  Dr.  Conneau  and  Thelin  had  risen,  and  the  prince  was 
then  attired  in  his  borrowed  dress.  His  height  was  increased 
four  inches  by  inserting  high-heeled  boots  into  his  sabots 
or  wooden  shoes,  while  the  legs  of  his  trousers  concealed  the 
deception.     His  moustaches  were  cut  off,  every  preparation 


104  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

was  made,  his  disguise  was  complete,  and  as  he  had  deter- 
mined not  to  be  taken  alive,  he  furnished  himself  with  offen- 
sive and  defensive  weapons.  He  retained  on  his  person  the 
most  valuable  relic  which  he  possessed.  This  was  a  letter 
written  by  the  Emperor  Napoleon  to  Hortense,  in  which  he 
expresses  his  interest  in  the  future  fate  of  the  prince,  and  his 
confidence  in  his  excellent  qualities.  He  drew  over  his  usual 
dress  grey  pantaloons,  a  coarse  linen  shirt  cut  off  at  the  waist, 
and  a  blouse,  which  had  been  purposely  soiled.  To  these 
were  added  an  old  blue  linen  apron,  a  wig  of  long  black  hair, 
and  a  soiled  cap.  His  hands  and  face  were  then  stained  red. 
He  loosened  one  of  the  long  shelves  of  his  library  and  hoisted 
it  on  his  shoulders,  to  aid  in  the  deception. 

At  length  at  fifteen  minutes  before  seven  the  prince  issued 
from  his  chamber.  He  immediately  descended  the  stairs,  at 
the  bottom  of  which  the  two  keepers  were  posted.  Thelin 
accompanied  him,  and  as  they  approached  the  keepers  he 
drew  one  of  them  aside  pretending  to  have  something  to  say 
to  him  privately.  The  other  keeper  drew  back  to  avoid  the 
plank  which  the  prince  carried.  The  fugitive  thus  passed 
through  the  wicket.  He  then  entered  the  court-yard.  When 
passing  through  this,  he  was  met  by  several  persons,  both 
soldiers  and  workmen,  some  of  whom  eyed  him  closely ;  but  so 
complete  was  his  disguise  that  they  failed  to  identify  or  even 
to  suspect  him.  Having  arrived  at  the  great  gate,  the  keeper's 
attention  was  attracted  by  Thelin  who  was  playing  boisterously 
with  Ham,  the  prince's  dog,  which  he  led  in  a  leash.  The 
bolt  was  drawn,  the  prisoner  passed  through  the  gate,  and 
it  was  closed  behind  him.  Thelin  continued  his  conversation 
with  the  keeper,  and  after  a  few  minutes  thus  employed,  he 
also  passed  out.  The  prince  took  the  road  along  the  ram- 
parts which  joins  the  high  road  to  St.  Quentin,  whilst  Thelin 
hastened  into  the  village  of  Ham  to  procure  the  carriage 
which  he  had  engaged  on  the  previous  evening.  The  prince 
hastened  on  to  the  cemetery  of  St.  Sulpice,  two  miles  distant 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  105 

from  the  fortress,  at  which  he  had  appointed  to  meet  his  faith- 
ful valet  with  the  means  of  conveyance. 

Thelin  having  arrived  at  the  designated  place,  the  prince 
threw  his  plank  into  a  cornfield,  kicked  off  his  sabots  into  a 
ditch,  jumped  into  the  vehicle,  took  the  reins,  and  began  to 
drive  at  a  rapid  pace.  They  travelled  quickly  over  the  fifteen 
miles  which  separate  Ham  from  St.  Quentin.  The  horses 
were  changed  several  times  at  the  post-houses,  but  no  recog- 
nition took  place.  As  they  approached  St.  Quentin  the 
prince  divested  himself  of  his  old  trousers,  blouse,  and  cap, 
retaining  the  wig,  and  left  the  carriage  in  order  to  pass  around 
the  town  on  foot,  avoid  the  scrutiny  to  which  he  would  have 
there  been  subjected,  and  meet  Thelin,  provided  with  fresh 
horses,  on  the  Cambray  road.  They  reached  Valenciennes  at 
two  o'clock.  Here  their  passport  was  examined.  They  there 
awaited  the  train  of  cars  which  started  at  four  o'clock  for 
Brussels.  The  interval  of  suspense  seemed  endless,  and  had 
the  prince's  escape  been  discovered  in  time  at  Ham,  it  would 
have  proved  fatal.  But  that  discovery  was  not  made  so  soon  ; 
the  prince  and  his  attendant  safely  reached  Brussels  ;  thence  they 
hastened  to  Ostend  ;  and  thence  they  journeyed  to  England. 

The  fact  of  the  prince's  escape  was  concealed  at  the  fortress 
in  the  following  manner.  Dr.  Conneau,  immediately  after 
the  departure  of  the  prince,  placed  the  stuffed  figure  in  his 
bed  with  its  wax  face  turned  toward  the  wall.  He  then  closed 
the  door  leading  from  the  prince's  chamber  into  the  saloon, 
and  kindled  a  large  fire,  in  order  to  keep  up  the  illusion  that 
the  prince  was  ill.  He  deposited  the  coffee-pot  on  the 
stove,  and  told  the  servant,  La  Place,  that  the  prince  was 
sick.  At  nine  o'clock  the  commandant  of  the  fortress,  He 
Marie,  came  to  the  saloon  and  inquired  for  the  prince.  Dr. 
Conneau  replied  that  he  was  ill,  and  that  unless  the  com- 
mandant had  something  of  importance  to  say,  it  would  be 
better  not  to  disturb  him.  The  commaudant  put  his  head 
inside  the  door  of  the  bed-chamber,  saw  the  figure  lying  in 
bed,  and  concluded  that  all  was  right.     Dr.  Conneau  then 


106  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

took  an  emetic,  which  the  physician  of  the  castle  had  ordered 
for  the  patient,  performed  the  consequent  functions,  and  by 
the  odor  which  was  produced  in  the  apartment,  confirmed  the 
general  deception  as  to  the  real  illness  of  the  supposed  prince. 
At  twelve  o'clock  the  commandant  returned  to  Louis  Na- 
poleon's apartment,  and  inquired  after  his  health.  Dr. 
Conneau  replied  that  he  was  now  somewhat  easier.  He  was 
satisfied  and  again  retired.  At  two  o'clock  he  paid  a  third 
visit  to  the  apartments  of  his  prisoner.  This  time  Dr.  Con- 
neau informed  him  that  the  prince  had  just  taken  a  bath,  and 
was  then  enjoying  a  refreshing  slumber.  The  generous 
Cerberus  refused  to  disturb  his  captive  under  such  agreeable 
circumstances,  and  again  retired.  But  when  evening  came 
he  made  his  last  call  for  the  day  ;  he  inquired  after  the  prince's 
health,  and  was  gravely  informed  by  the  doctor  that  he  was 
still  reposing  after  the  emetic  and  the  bath.  The  commandant 
began  to  be  surprised,  and  to  think  that  he  had  certainly 
taken  under  his  charge  one  of  the  seven  sleepers  of  Ephesus. 
"  I  must  speak  to  him,"  he  exclaimed.  "  0,  let  him  quietly 
sleep  on,"  responded  the  doctor,  who  by  a  great  effort  re- 
tained a  sober  countenance.  The  commandant  then  opened 
the  door  of  the  chamber  and  called  to  the  prince.  The  prince, 
very  naturally,  made  no  response.  The  commandant  imme- 
diately approached  the  bed,  gazed  into  the  recumbent  wax 
face,  punched  the  stuffed  figure  in  the  ribs,  and  discovered  at 
last,  with  horror  and  amazement,  that  the  bird  had  flown. 
"  When  did  the  prince  escape  ?"  he  demanded  of  Dr.  Con- 
neau. "At  seven  o'clock  this  morning,"  was  the  answer. 
"Who  were  the  persons  on  guard?"  "I  don't  know," 
replied  the  doctor  ;  at  the  same  time  giving  vent  to  his  long- 
subdued  risibility  by  a  vast  thunder-clap  of  laughter.  The 
unhappy  commandant,  overwhelmed  with  chagrin  and  terror, 
turned  away  and  rapidly  left  the  apartment.  His  wife  fainted 
on  hearing  of  the  prince's  escape.  The  news  flew  like  the 
wind  throughout  the  castle,  and  throughout  the  village  ;  the 
country  in  every  direction  was  instantly  searched  ;  expresses 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  107 

were  dispatched  to  the  railway  and  police  stations.  But  all 
was  in  vain.  Too  much  time  had  been  gained  by  the  fugitive 
through  the  plausible  representations  of  the  faithful  and  adroit 
Conneau. 

On  the  prince's  arrival  in  London  he  applied  for  passports 
from  the  representative  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  per- 
mitting him  to  visit  his  father  at  Florence.  They  were  denied 
him  ;  and  the  Grand  Duke  afterward  informed  the  ex-King 
of  Holland  that  "French  influence"  would  not  permit  him 
to  tolerate  the  presence  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  Florence  even 
for  twenty-four  hours.  The  ex-King  expired  soon  afterward, 
without  again  seeing  Louis  Napoleon,  whom  in  his  latter 
years  he  pretended  to  regard  as  his  son  1 


108  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Interview  of  the  Prince  with  Count  d'Orsay  —  Lady  Douglass — Death 
of  the  ex-King  of  Holland  —  The  Melanges  Politiques —  History  of  the 
Downfall  of  Louis  Philippe  —  State  of  Parties  in  France  —  The  Mon- 
ster Banquets  —  Popular  Tumults  —  M.  Molle"  —  The  New  Ministry 
of  Thiers  —  Delusion  of  the  King — His  Flight  from  Paris  —  Esta- 
blishment of  the  Provisional  Government  —  Letters  of  Louis  Napoleon 
to  the  Provisional  Government  —  His  Return  to  London  —  He  is 
elected  a  Representative  by  Four  Departments  —  His  Letters  to  the 
Electors  and  to  the  Assembly —  He  sends  in  his  Resignation  as  Repre- 
sentative to  the  Assembly  —  Popular  Tumults  —  Cavaignac  appointed 
Dictator  —  Louis  Napoleon  re-elected  Representative  by  Five  Depart- 
ments —  His  Appearance  iu  the  Assembly  —  His  Speech  —  Decree 
of  Banishment  against  the  Bonapartes  annulled. 

Immediately  on  his  arrival  in  London  the  fugitive  prince 
repaired  to  Gore  House,  the  residence  of  Count  d'Orsay. 
The  count  was  not  always  easy  of  access.  He  was  one  of 
those  lavish,  expensive  and  ostentatious  persons  who  are  con- 
tinually favored  with  the  visits  of  tradesmen,  bailiffs,  and  other 
similarly  pertinacious  and  obtrusive  individuals,  who  some- 
times bestow  the  honor  and  the  felicity  of  their  company 
where  they  are  not  wanted.  Accordingly,  when  informed  by 
his  valet  that  a  stranger  desired  to  be  admitted,  whose  appear- 
ance was  not  very  prepossessing,  and  who  refused  to  give  his 
name,  the  perfumed  count  sent  back  word  that  the  mysterious 
individual  must  positively  go  away,  inasmuch  as  he  would 
not  see  him.  As  soon  as  the  prince  received  this  answer,  he 
perceived  the  nature  of  the  joke,  and  sent  the  servant  back  to 
say  that  he  had  called  on  business  of  importance,  and  that  he 
was  determined  to  see  the  count.  This  message  only  increased 
the  consternation  of  the  nobleman  ;  and  he  inquired  more 
particularly  as  to  the  appearance  of  the  visitor.  The  valet's 
description  intimated  that  he  was  a  foreigner ;  and  other  de- 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  109 

tails  led  to  the  opinion  that  he  might  be  Louis  Napoleon. 
With  this  conviction  on  his  mind,  the  count  ventured  to  pro- 
trude his  head  through  the  door  of  the  ante-room,  in  order 
to  reconnoitre  at  a  safe  distance.  He  at  once  recognized  his 
quondam  friend,  and  rushing  out  heartily  received  and  em- 
braced him. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  in  London  the  prince  visited 
his  cousin,  Lady  Douglass,  now  the  Duchess  of  Hamilton. 
She  said  to  him  :  "  Well,  you  are  free  at  last.  Will  you  now 
be  quiet  ?  Will  you  lay  aside  those  fallacies  which  have  cost 
you  so  dear,  and  the  cruel  delusions  of  those  dreams  which 
have  given  those  who  love  you  so  much  anxiety?"  The 
prince  responded  :  "  My  dear  cousin,  I  do  not  belong  to  my- 
self; I  belong  to  my  name  and  my  country.  It  is  because 
my  fortune  has  twice  betrayed  me,  that  my  destiny  is  nearer 
its  accomplishment.  I  bide  my  time  !  "  This  remark  illus- 
trates the  constancy  of  hope  and  confidence  which  has  charac- 
terized Louis  Napoleon  during  his  whole  lifetime. 

After  the  prince's  escape  from  Ham,  his  father,  the  ex-King 
of  Holland,  and  Count  of  St.  Leu,  having  died  at  Florence, 
in  his  will  he  expressed  a  desire  that  his  remains  might  be 
buried  in  the  village  of  St.  Leu,  near  Paris,  from  which  he 
took  his  title.  Said  he:  "I  have  borne  the  name  of  that 
village  for  forty  years,  and  I  liked  the  place  better  than  any 
other  in  the  world."  His  desire  was  complied  with.  A 
guard  of  honor,  consisting  of  the  veteran  soldiers  of  the  em- 
pire, attended  the  funeral  solemnities.  The  concourse  of 
citizens  was  also  large.  Louis  Napoleon  addressed  a  letter 
afterward  to  Captain  Le  Comte,  the  officer  who  commanded 
the  military  on  that  occasion,  thanking  him  for  his  interest 
and  activity  during  the  obsequies. 

The  prince  was  destined  to  sojourn  as  an  exile  in  England 
for  a  year  and  a  half.  He  there  readily  made  himself  at 
home.  He  had  many  personal  friends,  who  had  not  forgot- 
ten him  during  six  years  of  absence  and  captivity.  Mrs. 
Howard  still  flourished  in  the  metropolis,  and  she  still 
10 


110  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

retained  her  attachment  to  the  fortunes  and  the  person  of  the 
prince.  He  renewed  his  connection  with  her ;  and  having 
nothing  else  wherewith  to  occupy  his  mind,  he  devoted  him- 
self to  the  mingled  excitement  of  pleasure  and  study. 

The  fruit  of  his  intellectual  diversions  was  his  work  entitled 
Melanges  Politique s.  This  book  displays  the  same  qualities 
as  those  which  characterized  his  previous  productions.  He 
now  seemed  to  have  come  to  the  deliberate  conclusion,  that 
notwithstanding  his  repeated  failures,  and  the  long  postpone- 
ment of  his  hopes,  the  day  of  their  realization  was  rapidly 
approaching.  He  believed  that  the  downfall  of  Louis  Phi- 
lippe would  soon  take  place;  and  he  believed  rightly.  French 
governments  in  modern  times,  and  since  the  downfall  of  the 
ancient  monarchy,  never  last  longer  than  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years.  Seventeen  years  were  the  limit  of  the  supremacy  of 
Napoleon  I.  Seventeen  years  the  restored  Bourbons  reigned. 
Seventeen  years  Louis  Philippe  occupied  the  throne.  And  we 
may  safely  predict  that  seventeen  years  will  be  the  longest 
period  allotted  by  the  hand  of  Destiny  to  the  restored  dynasty 
of  the  Bonapartes.  The  parallel  may  seem  absurd,  but  it  is 
based  on  solid  reasons,  and  deduced  from  rational  inferences. 

The  various  causes  which  led  to  the  downfall  of  the  money- 
bag-king, Louis  Philippe,  need  not  here  be  narrated  in  much 
detail.  The  "  Napoleon  of  Peace"  had  gradually  lost  the 
confidence  of  the  French  nation.  They  perceived  that  he 
ruled,  not  with  the  slightest  design  to  promote  their  welfare, 
but  wholly  for  the  aggrandizement  of  himself  and  his  family ; 
that  he  was  greedily  heaping  up  riches  by  the  million  ;  that  he 
was  continually  purchasing  principalities  and  lordships  ;  that 
he  was  marrying  off  his  children  into  all  the  available  royal 
families  of  the  continent ;  that  he  was  constantly  curtailing 
liberty ;  that  he  had  so  far  corrupted  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  that  they  had  become  the  most  abject  and  fawning 
of  slaves ;  that  the  new  fortifications  of  Paris  were  in  reality 
only  the  defences  of  the  court  and  the  palace  ;  that  the  elec- 
tive franchise  of  the  nation  had  been  turned  into  a  farce ;  in 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  Ill 

a  word,  that  Louis  Philippe  had  proved  himself  to  be  one 
of  the  most  selfish,  unprincipled  and  detestable  tyrants  of 
modern  times. 

The  people  began  to  murmur,  and  their  murmurings  were 
uttered,  not  at  "  monster  meetings,"  which  were  forbidden  by 
law,  but  at  monster  banquets,  which  the  law  could  not  forbid 
At  these  banquets  the  king's  health  was  always  carefully  and 
insultingly  omitted  in  the  list  of  toasts.  The  nation  was 
then  divided  into  three  parties.  The  first  was  the  Legitimists, 
who  adored  the  elder  branch  of  the  Bourbons ;  who  still  upheld 
the  divine  right  of  the  house  of  Capet,  and  of  the  ancient 
monarchy  ;  and  who  detested  the  house  of  Orleans  as  intruders 
and  usurpers.  Their  organ  was  the  Gazette  de  France,  edited 
by  Genoude,  and  supported  in  the  Chamber  by  Berryer.  The 
second  party  were  the  Republicans.  These  were  divided  into 
two  branches,  the  Moderate  and  the  Extreme.  The  Moderate 
Republicans  were  represented  by  the  National,  edited  by 
Marrast ;  the  views  of  the  Extreme  were  set  forth  in  the 
Reforme,  conducted  by  Flocon.  Their  mouth-piece  in  the 
Chamber  was  Ledru  Rollin.  The  third  party  was  the  Liberal 
or  Constitutional,  whose  journal  was  La  Presse,  and  whose 
leader  was  Odillon  Barrot.  All  these  parties  now  united 
in  repudiating  the  policy  and  government  of  Louis  Philippe, 
and  those  of  his  ministers.  Of  the  latter,  Guizot  was  simply  a 
philosopher  and  a  man  of  letters,  utterly  unfit  to  conduct  the 
practical  interests  and  affairs  of  the  nation.  Duchatel  was  a 
practical  man  of  business,  skilful,  unprincipled,  and  adroit ; 
but  his  adroitness  had  gained  for  him  only  the  distrust  and 
the  apprehensions  of  the  nation. 

This  distrust  and  apprehension  had  been  chiefly  expressed 
at  the  monster  banquets,  which  had  begun  to  be  popular. 
When  Louis  Philippe  opened  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  in 
December,  1847,  he  gave  utterance  to  his  feelings  and  charged 
those  members  of  the  Chamber  who  had  attended  these 
banquets  with  being  hostile  to  royalty,  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  nation,  and  with  being  blind  to  the  serious  results 


112  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

which  might  follow.  After  the  conclusion  of  the  royal  speech 
a  violent  debate  ensued.  M.  Thiers,  the  orator  of  the  oppo- 
sition, led  off;  Odillon  Barrot  followed  with  equal  fervor  and 
ability.  Ledru  Rollin  then  spoke  with  a  degree  of  eloquence 
and  power  which  at  once  placed  him  in  the  first  rank  of 
speakers  in  the  Chamber.  The  result  was  that  Louis  Philippe 
began  to  tremble  on  his  throne.  A  great  banquet  was  an- 
nounced for  the  22d  of  February,  to  which  all  the  deputies  of  the 
opposition,  magistrates,  members  of  the  municipal  govern- 
ment, and  delegates  from  the  colleges  and  schools  were  invited, 
to  the  number  of  fifteen  hundred  persons.  They  were  to 
,  assemble  first  in  the  Place  de  la  Concord,  and  proceed  thence 
to  the  banquet. 

This  banquet  was  prohibited  by  a  decree  of  the  government ; 
orders  were  issued  to  the  commander  of  the  National  Guard 
to  forbid  their  attendance  even  as  spectators ;  and  the  garrison 
of  Paris  was  increased  to  a  hundred  thousand  men,  by  immedi- 
ately summoning  a  large  number  of  soldiers  from  Yincennes, 
and  other  fortresses  in  the  vicinity  of  the  capital.  On  Tuesday, 
the  day  appointed  for  the  prohibited  banquet,  all  Paris  was 
in  a  state  of  fermentation.  Immense  crowds  hurried  along  the 
streets,  and  the  everlasting  Marseillaise  was  heard  echoing 
and  re-echoing  in  every  direction.  "Down  with  Guizot!" 
was  shouted  on  all  sides.  A  strong  body  of  troops  had 
been  drawn,  by  this  time,  around  the  Tuilleries  ;  and  although 
some  barricades  were  erected  by  the  people  between  Rue  St. 
Denis  and  Rue  St.  Martin,  Tuesday  passed  over  without 
anything  of  importance  transpiring.  During  the  ensuing 
night,  however,  the  factions  were  not  idle  ;  but  an  intense 
activity  prevailed.  On  Wednesday  the  excitement  which 
pervaded  the  capital  became  more  intense  and  universal. 
Crowds  streamed  toward  the  Champs  Elysies,  and  the  Bou- 
levards were  filled  with  people,  whom  even  the  deluge  of  rain 
which  fell  could  not  disperse.  At  this  crisis  the  government 
proposed  to  make  some  concessions,  and  M.  Mole  was  called 
to  the  head  of  the  cabinet.     The  Duke  de  Montpensier  also 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  113 

offered  to  send  to  the  Chambers  a  project  of  electoral 
reform,  and  another  for  parliamentary  reform.  The  formation 
of  a  new  ministry  was  announced  to  the  excited  Parisians, 
and  Louis  Philippe  and  M.  Mole  attempted  to  devise  new 
measures,  and  conditions  for  the  cabinet.  During  Wed- 
nesday  no  further  decisive  movements  were  made  by  the  popu- 
lace ;  but  the  king  and  M.  Mole  could  not  agree  upon  the 
terms  and  arrangements  necessary  for  the  construction  of  the 
government,  and  in  despair,  Louis  Philippe  at  length  sent  for 
M.  Thiers.  Thiers  agreed  to  undertake  the  formation  of  an- 
other ministry,  provided  Odillon  Barrot  became  a  member  of 
it.  The  king  agreed  to  everything,  entirely  overwhelmed  by 
terror  and  confusion.  Thiers  wrote  the  following  proclama- 
tion, which  was  published  in  the  public  journals,  and  was 
placarded  in  large  bills  over  the  city  :  "Citizens  of  Paris, 
orders  are  given  everywhere  to  cease  firing. — We  have  just 
received  the  commands  of  the  king  to  form  a  new  ministry. 
The  chamber  is  to  be  dissolved.  An  appeal  is  to  be  made 
to  the  country.  General  Lamoriciere  is  appointed  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  National  Guard  of  Paris.  MM.  Thiers, 
Barrot,  and  Duvergier  de  Hauranne,  are  appointed  ministers. 
Liberty,  Order,  and  Reform." 

Nobody  paid  the  least  attention  to  this  proclamation  of  M. 
Thiers.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  24th,  Louis 
Philippe,  overcome  with  fatigue,  retired  to  his  chamber  to  sleep, 
confident  that  the  appointment  of  a  new  and  more  popular 
ministry  would  appease  the  frenzied  Parisians.  It  was  a  delu- 
sive hope.  He  then  laid  down  upon  his  royal  bed  for  the  last 
time.  Little  did  he  then  imagine  that  the  sun  should  rise  on 
him  as  king  no  more  !  At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  he 
came  down  stairs  again,  refreshed  with  slumber,  with  a 
smiling  countenance,  and  in  a  negligent  dress,  to  partake  of 
a  family  breakfast.  He  then  learned  to  his  astonishment 
and  terror  that  all  Paris  was  in  commotion  ;  that  the  National 
Guards  had  fraternized  with  the  insurgents ;  that  the  procla- 
mation of  Thiers  was  everywhere  torn  down  and  trodden 
10*  H 


114  PUBLIC     AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

tinder  foot ;  that  his  Palais  Royal  had  been  assaulted  and 
plundered ;  and  that  the  ruin  of  his  throne  and  dynasty 
became  each  instant  more  imminent.  He  retired  to  his 
chamber,  and  putting  on  the  uniform  of  the  National  Guard, 
he  mounted  his  horse,  and  hastened  to  the  Place  du  Carrou- 
sal  to  review  the  troops  collected  there.  A  few  shouts  of 
Vive  le  Boi  were  heard  as  he  approached  ;  but  these  were 
totally  overwhelmed  by  the  innumerable  yells  of  "  Vive  la 
Reforme  /"  The  king  soon  returned  again  to  the  palace, 
utterly  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  Summoning  his  new  cabinet, 
he  consulted  with  them.  At  that  moment  Emile  Girardin, 
the  editor  of  La  Presse,  opened  the  door  of  the  apartment 
and  entered.  He  informed  the  king  respectfully,  that  unless 
he  immediately  abdicated,  the  throne  would  be  overturned, 
and  his  whole  family  be  exiled  or  destroyed.  After  some 
hesitation  the  king  signed  a  proclamation,  containing  in  four 
lines  the  following  announcements  :  The  abdication  of  the 
king,  the  regency  of  the  Duchess  of  Orleans,  the  dissolution 
of  the  chamber,  and  a  general  amnesty.  He  added  at  the 
close  :  "I  abdicate  in  favor  of  my  grandson,  the  Count  of 
Paris  " 

The  king  now  retired  to  his  chamber,  and  exchanged  his 
uniform  for  a  citizen's  -dress.  He  had  already  taken  the  reso- 
lution to  flee  ;  for  all  Paris  resounded  with  the  explosion  of 
fire-arms,  some  public  buildings  were  already  burning,  and  the 
palace  was  surrounded  by  an  infuriated  mob,  whose  excesses 
none  could  anticipate  or  control.  As  the  king  rose  to  with- 
draw, the  Duchess  of  Orleans  wished  to  follow  him  ;  but  he 
prevented  her,  declaring  that  she  must  remain  for  the  sake  of 
her  son,  in  whose  favor  he  had  abdicated.  Bursting  into 
tears,  the  terrified  Duchess  was  compelled  to  obey.  After- 
ward when  she  and  the  Count  of  Paris  were  presented  to  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies  for  their  recognition  and  acknowledg- 
ment, she  was  informed  that  it  was  too  late  to  propose  or 
accept  such  an  arrangement,  and  that  the  Orleans  dynasty 
had  absolutely  and  completely  ceased  to  reign  in  France. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  115 

But  the  fugitive  king,  escaping  from  his  palace  by  a  remote 
gateway,  entered  a  hackney-coach,  drove  rapidly  through 
the  most  obscure  streets,  and  left  forever  a  capital  raging 
with  excitement,  and  filled  with  detestation  of  his  person  and 
his  measures.  Scarcely  had  he  quitted  the  Tuilleries,  when 
a  crowd  of  desperate  republicans,  headed  by  Dumoyer,  forced 
their  way  into  it,  and  instantly  defaced  and  removed  all  the 
traces  and  emblems  of  royalty  which  existed  there,  including 
the  throne  and  its  canopy.  Had  they  found  the  monarch 
himself,  it  is  not  improbable  that  he  would  have  paid  for 
his  money-bags  with  his  life.  But  he  escaped  their  fury ; 
and  after  a  rapid  journey,  he  safely  reached  the  shores  of 
England.  While  the  king  was  making  the  best  of  his  way 
toward  Calais,  the  excited  Chambers  were  discussing  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  new  government.  Lamartine,  Ledru  Rollin, 
Marrast  and  others,  addressed  the  legislature  ;  and  the  long 
and  stormy  session  ended  in  the  establishment  of  a  Republic, 
with  a  provisional  government,  of  which  the  members  were 
Lamartine,  Arago,  Dupont  de  l'Eure,  Marie,  Gamier  Page\ 
Ledru  Rollin,  Cremieux,  Flocon,  Marrast,  and  Louis  Blanc. 

The  utmost  excitement  pervaded  England  when  information 
was  received  of  this  great  and  sudden  revolution  ;  and  fears 
were  apprehended  of  a  similar  convulsion  in  that  country. 
The  Chartists  began  to  move,  to  assemble  in  the  open  air,  to 
make  furious  speeches,  and  to  offer  interminable  petitions  to 
Parliament.  Trafalgar  Square  and  Kennington  Common 
became  the  scenes  of  these  threatening  and  blustering  demon- 
strations. The  government,  to  prevent  further  harm,  enlisted 
an  immense  number  of  special  constables.  Among  these  im- 
portant personages  Louis  Napoleon  took  his  place,  and  helped 
to  preserve  the  peace  and  integrity  of  the  British  empire.  It 
was  quite  unnecessary  ;  for  the  poor  and  miserable  of  the 
London  population  soon  settled  down  again  in  imbecile  and 
starving  quietude,  while  the  wealthy  and  comfortable  went  on 
revelling  in  luxury  as  before. 

In  the  formation  of  the  new  Provisional  Government  the 


116  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

utmost  care  was  taken  by  those  whom  the  sudden  force  of 
circumstances  had  elevated  to  power,  to  exclude  everything 
like  Bouapartism.  Yery  soon  after  the  flight  of  Louis  Phi- 
lippe from  Paris,  Louis  Napoleon  proceeded  to  that  city,  ac- 
companied by  Dr.  Conneau  and  a  few  other  friends.  On  his 
arrival  the  partisans  of  the  Bonapartes  surrounded  him,  among 
whom  were  Montholon,  Persigny,  Yoisin,  old  Jerome  Bona- 
parte and  his  son,  Prince  Napoleon.  What  their  secret  deli- 
berations may  have  been,  is  unknown  ;  but  Louis  Napoleon, 
soon  after  his  arrival,  sent  the  following  letter  to  Lamartine, 
the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  :  "Messieurs:  —  The  heroic 
people  of  Paris  having  destroyed  the  last  vestiges  of  foreign 
invasion,  I  hasten  from  my  exile  to  place  myself  under  the 
banner  of  the  republic  just  proclaimed.  With  no  other  am- 
bition than  that  of  serving  my  country,  I  come  to  announce 
my  arrival  to  the  members  of  the  Provisional  Government, 
and  to  assure  them  of  my  devotiou  to  the  cause  which  they 
represent,  as  well  as  of  my  sympathy  for  themselves.  Accept, 
Messieurs,  the  assurance  of  my  sentiments." 

There  was  no  necessity  whatever  for  Louis  Napoleon  to 
announce  to  the  Provisional  Government,  whose  members 
were  overwhelmed  with  other  and  more  important  duties,  his 
arrival  in  Paris.  This  letter  was  in  reality  an  attempt  to  give 
himself  consequence  ;  and  the  result  was,  as  perhaps  it  should 
have  been,  an  immediate  order  to  the  prince,  whose  devotion 
to  their  cause,  and  whose  sympathy  for  themselves,  were  not 
wanted  or  believed,  to  leave  Paris  within  twenty-four  hours. 
Had  Louis  Napoleon  kept  himself  quiet,  it  is  probable  that 
he  had  been  forgotten  by  the  government,  and  might  have 
plotted  on  in  secret  with  more  celerity  and  success.  In  truth, 
a  proposition  was  made  in  the  assemblage  of  ministers,  to 
arrest  the  conspirator  of  Strasburg  and  Boulogne,  and  con- 
fine him  again  in  Ham,  as  being  a  measure  which  the  security 
of  the  state  demanded.  But  Lamartine  opposed  this  measure 
as  an  odious  act  of  persecution,  and  at  the  same  time  as  im- 
politic; for  such  a  proceeding  would  only  give  its  victim 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  Ill 

greater  consequence,  and  increase  the  number  and  activity  of 
his  friends. 

Louis  Napoleon  at  first  hesitated  as  to  the  course  which  he 
should  pursue  at  this  crisis.  Some  of  his  advisers  wished  him 
to  withdraw  to  some  garrison-city,  and  there  raise  again  the 
standard  of  rebellion  against  the  existing  government.  But 
after  some  deliberation  he  wisely  concluded  that  such  a  de- 
monstration would  end,  as  the  previous  attempts  had  ended, 
in  failure ;  and  he  determined  to  withdraw  for  the  present  to 
England.  He  announced  his  resolution  to  the  government 
in  the  following  letter:  "Messieurs  :  —  After  thirty-three 
years  of  exile  and  persecution,  I  thought  I  had  acquired  the 
right  of  finding  a  home  on  the  soil  of  ray  country.  You  deem 
my  presence  in  Paris  at  this  moment  a  subject  of  embarrass- 
ment. I  withdraw  then  for  a  time.  You  will  see  in  this 
sacrifice  the  purity  of  my  intentions  and  my  patriotism. 
Receive,  Messieurs,  the  assurance  of  my  deep  sympathy  and 
esteem." 

The  prince  accordingly  returned  to  London,  but  Persigny 
remained  in  Paris  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the  Napoleonic 
party  in  the  very  heart  of  the  young  republic.  This  man  was 
well  adapted  to  the  performance  of  this  task.  He  was  elo- 
quent, skilful,  prudent,  energetic,  and  courageous.  He  be- 
came at  once  the  soul  of  the  faction.  He  founded  a  secret 
Napoleonic  committee,  which  soon  extended  its  ramifications 
throughout  the  whole  of  France,  under  whose  direction  de- 
voted and  active  agents  were  sent  into  every  city,  town,  and 
village,  preparing  the  country  for  the  return  of  the  reign  of 
Napoleonism  in  the  person  of  the  absent  prince.  By  the 
diffusion  of  pictures,  busts,  and  sketches  of  the  Great  Corsi- 
can ;  by  innumerable  pamphlets  and  popular  books ;  by 
speeches,  poems,  satires  on  the  Bourbons  and  the  Jacobins ; 
by  every  possible  contrivance,  Napoleonism  was  diffused 
throughout  the  nation,  and  hints  given  of  future  decisive  de- 
velopments to  be  made  in  its  favor. 

The  first  fruits  of  these  labors  were  seen  in  the  election  of 


118  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Pierre  Napoleon,  the  son  of  Lncien,  and  Prince  Napoleon, 
as  representatives  of  the  people  in  the  Assembly.  Louis 
Napoleon,  although  invited  to  become  a  candidate,  refused 
until  the  decree  was  formally  abrogated  which  banished  the 
Bonaparte  family  from  France.  Prince  Lucien  Murat  was 
at  the  same  time  chosen  representative  for  the  department 
of  Lot. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1848,  the  Constituent  Assembly  held 
its  first  session.  The  provisional  government  then  expired, 
and  the  Assembly  elected  a  committee  of  five  to  administer 
the  government,  until  a  definite  establishment  of  power  was 
made.  The  committee  were  Arago,  Gamier  Pag£s,  Marie, 
Lamartine,  and  Ledru  Rollin.  A  petition  was  soon  pre- 
sented to  the  Assembly  signed  by  twenty  of  its  members, 
demanding  that  the  law  banishing  the  Bonapartes  from 
France  should  be  abrogated.  Before  this  matter  was  defi- 
nitely settled,  Louis  Napoleon  was  elected,  on  the  3d  of 
June,  a  representative  of  the  people  in  four  departments  at 
once.  One  of  these  was  the  department  of  the  Seine,  in- 
cluding the  city  of  Paris,  in  which  the  prince  received  eighty- 
five  thousand  votes.  The  other  departments  were  the  Yonne, 
Charente-Inferieure,  and  Corsica.  Thus,  for  the  first  time, 
in  the  progress  of  his  adventurous  life,  did  the  exiled  prince 
begin  to  gain  the  halo  of  success ;  his  star  so  long  lingering 
beneath  the  horizon  now  began  to  appear  dimly  above  its 
verge,  and  to  commence  that  slow  but  sure  ascent,  which  was 
destined  to  end  at  last  by  a  glorious  and  triumphant  culmi- 
nation at  the  zenith. 

The  election  of  Louis  Napoleon  at  once  terrified  the  exist- 
ing government.  They  determined  that  he  should  not  sit  in 
the  Assembly.  Orders  were  given  for  his  arrest,  should  he 
be  found  anywhere  in  the  French  territory.  It  was  asserted 
by  his  enemies  in  the  Assembly  that  the  prince  was  not  a 
French  citizen  ;  that  he  was  a  pretender  to  the  fallen  throne ; 
that  the  people  had  no  right  to  elect  as  representative  a  mac 
who  was  not  a  citizen,  and  who,  by  his  imperial  aspirations 


OP    NAPOLEON    III  119 

was  necessarily  a  traitor  to  the  Republic.  Lamartine  pro- 
posed a  decree  in  the  Assembly  re-asserting  the  law  of  the 
16th  of  April,  1832,  banishing  Louis  Napoleon  from  the 
French  territory,  which  decree  was  passed  amid  loud  shouts 
of  Vive  la  Republique! 

On  the  13th  of  June,  the  Assembly  was  called  on  to  decide 
upon  the  validity  of  the  elections  which  had  resulted  in  the 
choice  of  Louis  Napoleon.  The  debate  was  very  violent. 
The  friends  of  the  prince  defended  him  with  ability.  Able 
speeches  were  made  by  Ledru  Rollin,  Yieillard,  Bonjean, 
and  others.  The  result  was  that  the  Assembly  did  not  dare 
to  trample  under  foot  the  will  of  so  many  departments, 
the  election  of  Louis  Napoleon  was  eventually  declared 
valid,  and  the  executive  commission  was  defeated.  He  sent 
the  following  letter  of  thanks  to  the  departments  by  whom 
he  had  been  elected  : 

"Citizens:  Your  votes  fill  me  with  gratitude.  This 
mark  of  sympathy,  the  more  flattering  as  I  had  not  solicited 
it,  comes  to  find  me  regretting  my  inactivity  at  a  time  when 
our  country  has  need  of  the  united  efforts  of  all  her  children 
to  extricate  her  from  her  difficult  position. 

"Your  confidence  imposes  duties  upon  me  which  I  shall 
know  how  to  fulfil ;  our  interests,  our  sentiments,  our  wishes 
are  the  same.  A  Parisian  by  birth,  now  a  representative  of 
the  people,  I  shall  unite  my  efforts  to  those  of  my  colleagues 
to  re-establish  order,  credit,  industry,  to  assure  external 
peace,  to  consolidate  democratic  institutions,  to  conciliate 
interests  which  are  seemingly  hostile,  because  they  are 
mutually  suspicious  and  clash  against  each  other,  instead  of 
marching  together  towards  one  common  goal,  the  prosperity 
and  greatness  of  the  country. 

"The  people  are  free  since  the  24th  of  February;  they 
can  now  obtain  every  thing  without  having  recourse  to  brutal 
violence. 

"Let  us  rally  then  round  the  altar  of  our  country,  under 
the  flag  of  the  republic,  and  let  us  present  to  the  world  the 


120  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

grand  spectacle  of  a  people  regenerating  itself  without  fury, 
without  civil  war,  without  anarchy. 

"Receive,  dear  fellow-citizens,  the  assurance  of  my  devo- 
tion and  of  ray  sympathies." 

At  the  same  time  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  the  As- 
sembly, for  the  purpose  of  allaying  their  suspicions  and  fears  : 

"  Monsieur  le  President  :  I  was  setting  out  for  my  post 
when  I  learned  that  my  election  was  made  the  pretext  for 
deplorable  troubles  and  fatal  mistakes.  I  have  not  sought 
the  honor  of  being  a  representative  of  the  people,  because  I 
was  aware  of  the  injurious  suspicions  which  rested  upon  me ; 
much  less  did  I  seek  the  power.  If  the  people  impose  duties 
upon  me,  I  shall  know  how  to  fulfil  them. 

"  But  I  disavow  all  the  ambitious  designs  that  some  attri- 
bute to  me.  My  name  is  a  symbol  of  order,  of  nationality, 
of  glory,  and  it  would  be  with  the  liveliest  grief  that  I  should 
Bee  it  subservient  to  national  disorders.  To  avoid  such  a 
misfortune  I  prefer  to  remain  in  exile.  I  am  ready  to  sacri- 
fice every  thing  for  the  happiness  of  France. 

"Have  the  goodness,  Mr.  President,  to  communicate  this 
letter  to  the  Assembly.  I  enclose  you  a  copy  of  my  letter 
of  thanks  to  the  electors." 

The  reading  of  this  letter  in  that  abominable  legislative 
Babel,  the  Assembly,  occasioned  a  frightful  commotion.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  pass  a  vote  of  outlawry  against  the 
prince,  who  thus  dared  to  write  a  letter  to  the  Assembly  and 
never  once  name  the  word  Republic!  There  is  no  telling 
what  the  result  might  have  been  had  not  the  prince  sent  a 
letter  with  the  utmost  haste  from  London,  resigning  his  office 
as  representative  of  the  people.  Though  the  excitement  in 
reference  to  Louis  Napoleon  had  been  thus  allayed,  other 
causes  of  disturbance  agitated  the  capital,  which  resulted 
eventually  in  the  overthrow  of  the  Committee  of  Five,  and 
the  appointment  of  General  Cavaignac  as  Dictator.  A  battle 
lasting  three  days  and  three  nights  ensued,  in  which  many 
thousands  were  slain.     At  length,  when  order  was  restored, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  121 

General  Cavaignac  resigned  his  power  into  the  hands  of  the 
Assembly,  who  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  in  his  favor. 

And  now  the  time  had  arrived  at  which  a  re-election  was 
to  take  place  in  the  departments  which  had  once  chosen  Louis 
Napoleon.  He  publicly  announced  his  intention  to  accept 
the  offi-ce  of  representative  if  again  chosen.  The  result  was 
that  he  was  elected  by  increased  majorities,  and  in  five 
departments.  As  soon  as  he  was  informed  of  this  result,  he 
immediately  started  for  Paris,  and  arrived  there  on  the  24th 
of  September.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  the  Hotel  de 
Rhine,  on  the  Place  Vendotne.  On  the  26th  of  September 
he  made  his  first  appearance  in  the  Assembly.  His  presence 
attracted  considerable  attention.  The  clerk  charged  with 
making  the  returns  of  the  elections  of  Seine,  Moselle,  Corsica, 
Yonne,  and  Charente-Inferieure,  ascended  the  tribune  and 
read  his  report.  As  soon  as  the  president  of  the  Assembly 
announced  that  Louis  Napoleon  was  a  representative  of  the 
people,  the  prince  arose,  left  his  place,  ascended  the  tribune, 
and  read  from  a  paper  the  following  declaration,  in  a  clear 
and  impressive  voice  : 

"  Citizen  Representatives  :  I  can  no  longer  maintain  silence 
regarding  the  calumnies  of  which  I  have  been  the  object. 

"  I  find  it  necessary  to  express  here  aloud,  and  on  the  first 
day  I  am  permitted  to  take  a  seat  amon»st  you,  the  real 
sentiments  which  animate  me,  and  which  have  always 
animated  me. 

"After  thirty  years  of  exile  and  proscription,  I  at  last 
recover  my  country,  and  my  rights  as  a  citizen. 

"The  republic  has  granted  me  this  happiness:  let  the 
republic  then  receive  the  oath  of  my  gratitude,  the  oath  of 
my  devotion,  and  let  my  generous  countrymen,  who  have 
brought  me  into  this  Assembly,  be  certain  that  I  shall  en- 
deavor to  justify  their  suffrages  by  laboring  with  you  for  the 
preservation  of  tranquillity — that  first  of  the  country's  wants 
—  and  for  the  development  of  those  democratic  institutions 
that  the  people  have  a  right  to  demand. 
11 


122  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

11  For  a  long  time  I  have  been  able  to  devote  to  France 
nothing  but  the  meditations  of  exile  and  captivity.  Now  the 
career  in  which  you  march  is  open  to  me  ;  receive  me  into 
your  ranks,  my  dear  colleagues,  with  the  same  sentiment  of 
affectionate  confidence  that  I  bear  towards  you. 

"  My  conduct,  always  inspired  by  duty,  always  animated 
with  respect  for  the  law,  shall  prove,  in  spite  of  all  those  who, 
by  blackening  me,  attempt  to  proscribe  me  again,  that  no  one 
here  is  more  determined  than  I  to  devote  himself  to  the  de- 
fence of  order,  and  to  the  consolidation  of  the  republic." 

These  remarks  were  received  with  silence  by  the  great  body 
of  the  Assembly,  and  with  loud  applause  by  the  enthusiastic 
friends  of  the  prince. 

The  next  measure  of  importance  which  came  before  the 
Assembly  was  a  decision  upon  the  method  in  which  the  future 
President  of  the  Republic  should  be  chosen.  Three  modes 
were  proposed  ;  but  after  some  discussion  the  Assembly 
resolved  that  the  President  should  be  elected  by  the  universal 
suffrage  of  the  people.  One  thing  more  only  remained  to 
secure  the  future  triumph  of  the  growing  power  of  the  Bona- 
parte faction ;  and  a  few  days  afterward  the  exile  and  pro- 
scription of  the  Bonaparte  family,  which  were  contained  in 
the  laws  of  1816  and  1832,  were  formally  abrogated  and 
abolished.  Thus  was  one  impediment  after  another  adroitly 
removed  from  the  pathway  of  the  aspiring  prince  in  his  ascent 
to  the  summit  of  power  and  glory  1 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  123 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  New  Constitution  —  Candidates  for  the  Presidency  —  Cavaignac  — 
Ledru  Rollin  —  The  Immortal  "Name"  —  Activity  of  the  Partisans 
of  Louis  Napoleon  —  Manifestoes  of  the  Candidates  —  Results  of  the 
Election  —  Inauguration  of  President  Louis  Napoleon  —  Difficulties 
of  his  Position  —  Defects  of  the  New  Constitution  —  The  Cabinet  of 
the  President — Activity  and  Violence  of  the  Red  Republican  Clubs  — 
Fouchet's  Bill  for  their  Suppression  —  Ledru  Rollin  proposes  the  Im- 
peachment of  the  Ministers  —  The  President's  Intrepidity  —  Conspi- 
racy against  him  throughout  France  —  Opposition  to  him  in  the  As- 
sembly—  Revolution  in  the  Ecclesiastical  States  —  Roman  Republic 
proclaimed  —  Mazzini  and  Garibaldi  —  Defeat  of  General  Oudinot  — 
The  New  Legislative  Assembly  —  Louis  Napoleon's  Message  to  the 
Assembly —  Downfall  of  the  Roman  Republic 

The  Assembly  decreed  that  the  election  of  the  President 
of  the  Republic  should  take  place  on  the  10th  of  December, 
1848.  The  new  Constitution  was  formally  adopted  on  the 
4th  of  November  by  a  majority  of  seven  hundred  and  thirty- 
nine  votes  against  thirty.  Its  chief  opponents  were  Yictor 
Hugo,  Proudhom,  Montalembert,  and  Berryer.  On  Sunday, 
November  12th,  it  was  proclaimed  in  the  Place  dc  la  Con- 
corde with  solemn  and  imposing  religious  ceremonies.  The 
occasion  was  graced  with  the  presence  of  the  clergy  ol  Paris, 
the  National  Assembly,  the  municipal  authorities,  deputations 
from  all  the  departments  of  France,  and  the  National  Guards 
in  uniform. 

The  approaching  election  for  President  of  the  Republic 
was  an  event  of  most  vital  importance.  Six  candidates  oc- 
cupied prominent  places  in  the  public  attention.  These  were 
Louis  Napoleon,  Cavaignac,  Ledru  Rollin,  Raspail,  Lamar- 
tine,  and  Changarnier.  The  Socialists  were  divided  into  three 
factions.  The  democratic  wing  was  represented  by  Ledru 
Rollin ;  the  partisans  of  communism  had  chosen  Raspail,  then 


124  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

a  prisoner  in  the  dungeons  of  Yincennes,  as  their  leader;  the 
third  portion,  composed  of  the  remains  of  the  "Workmen 
Corporations, ' '  supported  Louis  Blanc.  The  Moderates  were 
also  divided  into  three  parties.  The  one,  consisting  of  the 
wrecks  of  the  national  party,  was  led  by  Lamartine  ;  the 
second  was  headed  by  General  Cavaignac,  chief  of  the  execu- 
tive power;  and  the  third  was  the  great  Bonaparte  fac- 
tion, of  which  Louis  Napoleon  was  the  representative.  This 
last  party  was  supported  by  the  Presse,  the  Constitutionnel, 
the  Evenement,  the  Liberty — journals  which  possessed  the 
greatest  circulation  in  France.  But  the  impending  struggle 
really  lay  between  General  Cavaignac  and  Louis  Napo- 
leon, men  of  the  most  opposite  characters  and  incongruous 
principles. 

General  Cavaignac  was  a  man  fully  worthy  of  the  confi- 
dence of  the  nation.  He  possessed  great  integrity  and  mode- 
ration of  character  ;  he  was  unambitious,  virtuous,  and  honor- 
able ;  he  had  held  the  dictatorial  power  with  rare  prudence 
and  justice,  and  had  freely  resigned  it  at  the  earliest  possible 
period  ;  he  was  amiable  and  conciliatory  in  his  measures  ;  he 
nourished  no  animosities,  favored  no  factions,  and  sincerely 
loved  liberty  and  his  country.  In  addition  to  this  he  pos- 
sessed great  talents,  both  civil  and  military.  He  deserves 
to  some  extent  the  epithet  and  glory  of  the  Washington  of 
the  present  century. 

Ledru  Rollin  was  a  person  of  superior  ability.  His  chief 
merit  was  his  eloquence  as  a  revolutionary  orator.  During 
the  stormy  scenes  of  February  he  had  taken  the  lead  in  the 
Assembly,  and  had  given  evidence  of  large  capacity,  of  a 
liberal  and  daring  policy,  of  great  firmness,  courage,  and 
enthusiasm.  He  was  interested  in  advancing  the  welfare  of 
the  populace ;  he  labored  to  improve  the  condition  of  the 
working- classes  ;  while  at  the  same  time,  though  he  was 
aspiring  and  ambitious,  he  sincerely  loved  what  he  thought 
the  true  glory  and  felicity  of  France.  He  was  the  Mirabeau 
of  his  time  ;  and  his  public  career  has  been  terminated  as 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  125 

suddenly  and  prematurely,  though  not  as  tragically,  as  that 
of  the  Great  Orator  of  the  first  revolution. 

With  the  character  and  history  of  Louis  Napoleon,  the 
French  nation  were  already  familiar.  At  that  time  it  may 
be  emphatically  said  that  he  represented  only  a  Name.  But 
that  Name  was  deeply  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  millions ;  it 
was  a  souvenir  of  former  scenes  of  national  glory  and  gran- 
deur such  as  had  no  parallel  in  modern  times ;  and  if  it  was 
a  symbol  of  tyranny  and  blood,  it  was  also  one  of  order, 
security,  and  power.  It  was  the  greatest  and  brightest  name 
in  history  ;  it  flattered  the  pride  of  France ;  it  was  a  name 
which  must  live  forever.  And  he  who  had  inherited  this 
name  had  displayed  at  least  a  consciousness  of  his  rights,  a 
love  of  his  native  country,  and  an  ardent  desire  to  serve  her. 
Whatever  might  be  his  supposed  defects,  these  were  no  small 
or  insignificant  palliations  of  them. 

And  now  the  time  had  come  at  last,  when  this  man,  so 
long  persecuted,  derided,  and  crushed,  should  have  a  fair 
opportunity  to  redeem  his  fame  and  fortune.  The  lists 
of  an  immortal  race  had  been  opened,  and  he  was  ad- 
mitted among  the  number  of  the  competitors.  The  propi- 
tious moment  had  at  length  arrived.  The  victor's  crown 
might  yet  be  his.  The  prayer  of  his  dying  mother,  and  the 
hope  of  the  expiring  conqueror,  might  yet  be  realized.  And 
in  that  solemn  hour  of  decisive  destiny  Louis  Napoleon,  for 
the  first  time,  though  not  for  the  last,  proved  himself  equal 
to  the  achievement  of  mighty  deeds  ;  while  his  faithful  con- 
federates sprang  forward  in  myriads  to  accomplish  the  task 
before  them,  to  labor  with  sleepless  and  incessant  activity,  to 
pervade  all  France  with  their  endeavors  and  their  vigilance, 
and  thus  to  secure  the  proffered  triumph. 

Never  was  a  great  crisis  more  admirably  and  industriously 
improved,  for  the  accomplishment  of  an  important  result. 
The  whole  country  was  instantly  flooded  with  innumerable 
busts,  portraits,  medals,  and  lithographs,  some  of  which 
represented  the  fallen  Emperor,  and  some  his  aspiring  nephew. 
It* 


126  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Throughout  all  the  cities,  towns,  and  villages  of  France, 
pedlars  sold  these  silent  advocates  of  Napoleonism  at  nominal 
prices,  and  other  emissaries  gave  them  away ;  while  argu- 
ments, addresses,  and  appeals  were  employed,  sometimes  iu 
public,  sometimes  in  secret,  to  increase  the  popular  excite- 
ment in  the  prince's  behalf.  Nor  were  his  enemies  idle. 
Satirical  pamphlets  and  songs  were  printed  and  widely  diffused. 
The  utmost  powers  of  ridicule  were  tried  and  exhausted  ;  and 
the  unhappy  "live  eagle,"  which  had  figured  so  prominently 
and  so  ineffectually  in  the  affair  of  Boulogne,  became  the 
theme  of  myriads  of  satires  at  the  expense  of  the  prince. 
Truth,  decency,  and  propriety  were  all  outraged  ;  and  even 
the  prince's  former  connection  with  several  females  of  ques- 
tionable character  was  exaggerated,  perverted,  censured  and 
heralded  forth. 

As  the  period  of  the  election  approached,  the  public  ex- 
citement became  more  intense.  General  Cavaignac  refused  to 
publish  any  manifesto,  rightly  asserting  that  his  official  acts 
were  a  sufficient  proclamation  in  his  favor.  The  same  course 
was  pursued  by  Lamartine.  Ledru  Rollin  and  Raspail  sent 
forth  addresses  filled  with  sonorous  declarations  of  socialistic 
fury  and  absurdity.  Louis  Napoleon  was  strongly  urged  to 
prepare  a  clear  and  full  declaration  of  his  principles  and  pur- 
poses, as  a  reply  to  the  innumerable  calumnies  with  which  he 
was  assailed.  He  determined  to  do  so,  and  published,  on 
the  27th  of  November,  a  carefully  written  address  to  the 
French  people,  in  which  the  following  passages  occur : 

"  Whatever  may  be  the  result  of  the  election,  I  shall  bow 
to  the  will  of  the  people  ;  and  I  pledge  beforehand  my  co- 
operation with  any  strong  and  honest  government  which  shall 
re-establish  order  in  principles  as  well  as  in  things  ;  which 
shall  efficiently  protect  our  religion,  our  families,  and  our  pro- 
perties—  the  eternal  bases  of  every  social  community;  which 
shall  attempt  all  practicable  reforms,  assuage  animosities, 
reconcile  parties,  and  thus  permit  a  country  rendered  uneasy 
by  circumstances  to  count  upon  the  morrow. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  127 

"  To  re-establish  order  is  to  restore  confidence,  to  repair, 
by  means  of  credit,  the  temporary  depreciation  of  resources, 
to  restore  the  finances,  and  to  revive  commerce. 

"  To  protect  religion  and  the  rights  of  families  is  to  insure 
the  freedom  of  public  worship  and  education. 

"  To  protect  property  is  to  maintain  the  inviolability  of  the 
fruits  of  every  man's  labor ;  it  is  to  guarantee  the  independ- 
ence and  security  of  possession,  the  indispensable  foundations 
for  all  civil  liberties. 

"As  to  the  reforms  which  are  possible,  the  following  are 
those  which  appear  to  me  to  be  the  most  urgent  :  — 

"  To  adopt  all  those  measures  of  economy  which,  without 
occasioning  disorder  in  the  public  service,  will  permit  of  a 
reduction  of  those  taxes  which  press  most  heavily  on  the 
people. 

"To  encourage  enterprises  which,  whilst  they  develop 
agricultural  wealth,  may,  both  in  France  and  Algeria,  give 
work  to  hands  at  present  unoccupied. 

"  To  provide  for  the  relief  of  laborers  in  their  old  age,  by 
means  of  provident  institutions. 

"To  introduce  into  our  industrial  laws  ameliorations  which 
may  tend,  not  to  ruin  the  rich  for  the  gain  of  the  poor,  but  to 
establish  the  well-being  of  each  upon  the  prosperity  of  all. 

"  To  restrict,  within  just  limits,  the  number  of  employments 
which  shall  depend  on  the  government,  and  which  often  con- 
vert a  free  people  into  a  nation  of  beggars. 

"  To  avoid  that  deplorable  tendency  which  leads  the  state 
to  do  that  which  individuals  may  do  as  well,  and  better,  for 
themselves ;  the  centralization  of  interests  and  enterprises  is 
in  the  nature  of  despotism  ;  the  nature  of  the  republic  rejects 
monopolies. 

"Finally,  to  protect  the  liberty  of  the  press  from  the  two 
excesses  which  always  endanger  it  —  that  of  arbitrary  autho- 
rity on  the  one  hand,  and  of  its  own  licentiousness  on  the 
other. 


128  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

"  With  war  we  can  have  no  relief  to  our  ills.  Peace,  then, 
would  be  the  dearest  object  of  my  desire. 

"  France,  at  the  time  of  her  first  revolution,  was  warlike, 
because  others  forced  her  to  be  so.  Threatened  with  invasion, 
she  replied  by  conquest.  Now  she  is  not  threatened,  she  is 
free  to  concentrate  all  her  resources  to  pacific  measures  of 
amelioration,  without  abandoning  a  loyal  and  resolute  policy. 

"A  great  nation  ought  to  be  silent,  or  never  to  speak  in 
vain. 

"  To  have  regard  for  the  national  dignity  is  to  have  regard 
for  the  army,  whose  patriotism,  so  noble  and  so  disinterested, 
has  been  frequently  neglected. 

"We  ought,  whilst  we  maintain  the  fundamental  laws 
which  are  the  strength  of  our  military  organization,  to  alle- 
viate, and  not  aggravate,  the  burden  of  the  conscription. 

"  We  ought  to  take  care  of  the  present  and  future  interests, 
not  only  of  the  officers,  but  likewise  of  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates,  and  prepare  secure  means  of  subsistence 
for  men  who  have  long  served  under  our  colors. 

"  The  republic  ought  to  be  generous,  and  have  faith  in  its 
future  prospects ;  and  for  my  part,  I,  who  have  suffered  exile 
and  captivity,  appeal  with  all  my  warmest  aspirations  to  that 
day  when  the  country  may,  without  danger,  put  a  stop  to  all 
proscriptions,  and  efface  the  last  traces  of  our  civil  discords. 

"  Such,  my  dear  fellow-citizens,  are  the  ideas  which  I 
should  bring  to  bear  upon  the  functions  of  government,  if 
you  were  to  call  me  to  the  presidency  of  the  republic. 

"  The  task  is  a  difficult  one — the  mission  immense.  I  know 
it.  But  I  should  not  despair  of  accomplishing  it,  inviting  to 
my  aid,  without  distinction  of  party,  all  men  who,  by  their 
high  intelligence  or  their  probity,  have  recommended  them- 
selves to  the  public  esteem." 

At  length  the  memorable  10th  of  December  arrived.  A 
bright  clear  sun  shone  on  that  day  upon  France.  The  whole 
nation  marched  quietly  and  soberly  to  the  ballot-box  ;  or  if 
any  enthusiasm  was  displayed,  there  was  no  confusion  nor 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  129 

disturbance.  The  real  fact  was,  that  the  French  people  may 
almost  be  said  to  have  been  of  one  mind.  Louis  Napoleon 
was  elected  President  of  the  Republic  by  a  prodigious  ma- 
jority. He  received  5,434,226  votes ;  Cavaignac  received 
1,448,107  votes;  Ledru  Rollin,  370,119  votes;  Raspail, 
36,900;  Lamartine,  17,910;  Changarnier,  4,790.  Thus,  at 
last,  after  thirty-five  long  years  of  evil  and  misery,  the  son 
of  Hortense  had  become  the  ruler  of  France  1 

On  the  20th  of  December  the  new  President  was  sworn 
into  office  in  the  presence  of  the  Assembly.  On  the  after- 
noon of  that  day,  the  chairman  of  the  committee  of  thirty 
representatives  who  had  been  appointed  to  examine  the 
returns,  proceeded  to  read  his  report.  Having  given  the 
details  of  the  result,  and  informed  the  Assembly  that  Louis 
Napoleon  had  been  elected  President,  General  Cavaignac 
ascended  the  tribune  and  stated  to  them  that  the  ministers 
who  had  constituted  the  Cabinet  under  his  Dictatorship  had 
all  resigned.  M.  Marrast,  the  President  of  the  Assembly, 
put  the  report  of  the  committee  to  the  vote ;  when  it  was 
unanimously  adopted.  He  then  proceeded  to  say  that  the 
President  elect  would  now  be  sworn  into  office.  It  was 
about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  immense  hall  of 
the  Assembly  was  growing  obscure  with  the  gathering  shades 
of  evening.  The  chandeliers  were  lowered  and  lighted.  M. 
Marrast  having  at  length  made  a  signal,  a  door  opened  on  the 
right,  a  man  entered  the  hall,  and  rapidly  ascended  the  tri- 
bune. He  was  dressed  in  black,  and  wore  on  his  breast  the 
badge  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  The  whole  Assembly  gazed 
upon  him  with  intense  interest.  His  face  was  pale  and  care- 
worn, his  manner  was  hurried  and  confused,  his  attitude 
was  timid  and  anxious.  He  was  still  comparatively  young ; 
though  his  person  bore  the  marks  of  time  and  suffering.  This 
man  was  Louis  Napoleon. 

The  President  of  the  Assembly  then  read  in  a  loud  and 
calm  voice  the  following  oath:  "In  the  presence  of  God, 
and  before  the  French  people,  represented  by  the  National 

I 


130  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Assembly,  I  swear  to  remain  faithful  to  the  Democratic  re- 
public, one  and  indivisible  ;  and  to  fulfil  all  the  duties  im- 
posed on  me  by  the  Constitution."  Louis  Napoleon  facing 
the  Assembly,  responded  in  a  loud  and  firm  tone  :  "  I  swear 
it."  M.  Marrast  then  added,  rather  obtrusively  and  unne- 
cessarily :  "  We  take  God  and  man  to  witness  the  oath  which 
has  now  been  sworn.  The  National  Assembly  adopts  that 
oath,  orders  it  to  be  recorded  with  the  votes,  to  be  printed  in 
the  Moniteur,  and  to  be  published  in  the  same  form  and  man- 
ner as  the  acts  of  the  Legislature."  The  President  of  the 
Republic  then  delivered  his  inaugural  address  from  a  paper 
which  he  held  in  his  hand.  It  was  brief,  and  to  the  point ; 
containing  in  substance  the  same  ideas  which  had  been  ex- 
pressed in  his  proclamation  previous  to  the  election.  The 
President  having  concluded  his  speech  descended  from  the 
tribune  amid  general  and  prolonged  applause. 

The  President  of  the  Assembly  then  ordered  the  committee 
to  conduct  Louis  Napoleon  to  the  door  of  the  Elysee  Palace, 
which  had  been  appointed  for  his  residence.  They  passed 
between  two  lines  of  the  National  Guards  until  they  reached 
the  carriages  provided  for  them.  They  then  proceeded  to 
the  abode  of  the  new  "Chief  of  the  Executive  power," 
which  the  Assembly  had  designated  as  the  "Legislative 
Palace."  Thus  ended  the  simple  ceremonial  connected  with 
the  inauguration  of  the  first  President  of  the  Republic. 

Though  Louis  Napoleon  found  himself  at  last  at  the 
head  of  the  government,  his  position  was  a  very  difficult  one. 
He  was  called  the  President  of  a  republic,  but  there  was  in 
reality  no  republic  in  existence.  The  French  nation  was 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  political  chaos.  It  was  divided 
into  Legitimists,  Orleanists,  Revolutionists,  Reactionists, 
Socialists,  Red  Republicans,  and  Communists ;  and  although 
the  great  majority  of  the  people  throughout  the  country  had 
voted  for  Louis  Napoleon,  yet  the  leading  politicians,  the 
active  motive  power  in  the  capital,  were  divided  and  sub 
divided  into  the  factions  just  named.     The  new  constitution 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  131 

had  also  been  adopted  in  great  haste,  and  was  very  imper- 
fect. The  lines  of  distinction  between  the  different  branches 
of  the  government  had  not  been  drawn  with  sufficient  clear- 
ness. Confusion  and  collision  thence  became  inevitable. 
The  President  of  the  Republic  had  no  power  to  dissolve  cne 
Assembly,  and  order  another,  that  he  might  thereby  obtain 
the  meaning  and  learn  the  wishes  of  the  nation.  He  was 
forbidden  to  command  the  army.  His  right  to  pardon,  and 
to  grant  amnesties,  was  taken  away.  Everything  had  been 
done  in  the  framing  of  the  constitution  to  weaken  the  power 
of  the  chief  officer  of  the  government. 

It  is  apparent  that,  from  the  moment  Louis  Napoleon 
gained  his  election  to  the  Presidency,  he  commenced  to  plot 
against  the  republic.  His  measures  were  all  intended  to  cor- 
rupt the  army,  to  purchase  partisans  in  every  class  and  rank, 
and  gradually  to  concentrate  all  power  and  empire  in  him- 
self. This  indeed  was  his  professed  destiny.  This  was  true 
Napoleonism.  Such  was  the  course  of  conduct  and  policy 
which  he  had  inherited  with  his  name,  his  destiny  and  his 
hopes.  The  grand  and  imposing  part  of  the  drama  of  his 
life  now  really  begins. 

His  first  act  was  to  appoint  his  ministers.  Odillon  Barrot 
was  made  president  of  the  cabinet,  and  Minister  of  Justice. 
The  command  of  the  army  in  Paris  was  entrusted  to  General 
Changarnier.  M.  de  Maleville  was  Minister  of  the  Interior. 
The  very  day  after  his  inauguration  Louis  Napoleon  displayed 
the  firmness  of  bis  character  by  his  proceedings  in  regard  to 
the  official  documents  which  referred  to  the  affairs  of  Stras- 
burg  and  Boulogne.  These  were  contained  in  sixteen  cases, 
which  were  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  Ministry  of  the 
Interior.  The  president  requested  the  Minister  Maleville  to 
send  these  to  the  Elysee,  as  soon  as  he  took  possession  of  his 
bureau.  M.  Maleville  hesitated  to  comply  with  this  request. 
He  eluded  the  repeated  demands  of  the  president.  The  latter 
at  length  addressed  the  minister  a  letter  containing  such 
threats  and  such  reproaches,  that  M.  Maleville  immediately 


132  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

resigned.  Leon  Fauchet  was  appointed  to  succeed  him,  who 
proved  more  obedient  and  compliant  with  the  demands  of  the 
president. 

Louis  Napoleon  soon  found  that  the  high  seat  which  he 
had  so  long  coveted,  was  not  one  of  roses.  His  worst  oppo- 
nents, the  Red  Republicans,  were  active  in  fomenting  plots 
in  the  Assembly,  with  the  press,  and  in  the  clubs.  The  last 
were  particularly  dangerous,  insidious,  and  powerful.  One 
of  the  first  acts  of  Fouchet  was  to  close  these  clubs.  He 
brought  forward  a  bill  to  that  effect  in  the  Assembly,  and 
asserted  and  proved  that  under  "their  dissolving  action  no 
regular  government  was  possible."  The  proposition  was  vio- 
lently opposed  by  Ledru  Rollin  ;  and  he  prevailed  by  a  ma- 
jority of  seventy-six.  He  then  moved  the  impeachment  of 
the  ministry.  This  so  disconcerted  them  that  they  proposed 
in  a  body  to  resign.  But  the  president  refused  to  accept 
their  resignation  ;  and  added  :  "  Changarnier  has  received 
his  orders  ;  the  time  of  barricades  is  past."  Louis  Napoleon 
did  not  lose  his  presence  of  mind  on  this  critical  occasion ; 
but  grasped  the  helm  of  state  with  a  firm  and  resolute  hand. 
The  clubs  of  Paris  grew  more  and  more  powerful  every  day. 
Their  purposes  and  aims  are  thus  described  by  one  who  waa 
well  qualified  to  judge  of  their  real  character  :  ' 

"Whilst  sedition  and  conspiracy  are  allowed  to  muster  in 
their  recognized  strongholds,  the  clubs  of  Paris,  government 
of  a  stable  and  permanent  nature,  no  matter  what  its  form,  is 
impossible  in  France.  It  is  a  patent  fact,  which  no  one  de- 
nies, that  the  clubs  of  the  French  capital  are  not  mere  peace- 
ful assemblies  from  which  resolutions  embodying  the  senti- 
ments of  the  meeting,  or  petitions  addressed  to  the  legislature, 
emanate  in  a  manner  suitable  to  the  modesty  that  ought  to 
characterize  memorials.  It  is  not  resolutions,  but  revolu- 
tions ;  it  is  not  petitions,   but  insurrections ;  it  is  not  ad- 

'  See  Napoleon  III. ;  Review  of  his  Life,  Character,  and  Policy,  by  a 
British  Officer:  London,  1857,  p.  182. 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  133 

dresses,  but  barricades,  which  have  systematically  and  noto. 
riously  emanated  from  these  clubs  ever  since  their  appearance. 
They  are  sinks  and  pestholes  from  which  an  intermittent  evil 
of  incurable  and  fatal  malignity  has  at  frequent  intervals,  and 
with  frightful  precision,  arisen  and  seized  the  body  politic 
and  the  body  social.  This  is  a  fact  recorded  in  very  legible 
characters  of  blood  and  devastation,  and  scarred  and  seared 
into  the  condition  of  France  —  scarred  indeed,  and  seared  so 
deeply,  that  through  the  sides  of  that  tortured  country  all 
Europe  has  been  marked  and  impressed  with  the  signs  thereof. 
Louis  Napoleon  practically  experienced  that  he  cannot  carry 
on  his  government  while  these  clubs  are  suffered  to  exist ;  he 
probably  sees  also  that  no  government  could  be  carried  on 
which  sanctioned  obstructions  so  systematic  and  so  formidable 
in  its  own  path." 

Nor  was  this  dangerous  socialistic  excitement  confined  to 
Paris.  Seditions  occurred  at  Metz,  at  Perpignan,  and  else- 
where. These,  however,  were  soon  suppressed  by  the  mili- 
tary. The  great  conflict  which  was  gradually  approaching 
was  between  the  president  and  the  hostile  factions  in  the 
capital.  On  the  29th  of  January  the  drums  beat  to  arms  in 
Paris.  It  was  not  yet  the  coup  d'etat;  it  was  only  some 
precautionary  movements  occasioned  by  a  disturbance  among 
the  Garde  Mobile.  To  restore  public  confidence  the  presi- 
dent performed  an  act  of  superior  courage.  He  mounted  his 
horse,  and  attended  by  a  few  cuirassiers,  he  boldly  rode  up 
and  down  the  boulevards,  to  view  in  person  the  progress  of 
the  commotion.  This  bold  act  restored  public  confidence 
and  public  order.  He  waa  greeted  with  enthusiastic  shouts 
of  applause ;  and  no  further  demonstration  of  disaffection 
was  then  made  by  the  chief  malcontents  —  the  Red  Re- 
publicans. 

But  the  Red  Republicans  were  not  the  only  conspirators  in 

the  capital.     All  the  other  factions,  and  especially  the  Bour- 

bonists,   were  intensely  active.     Their  purpose  was  first  to 

crush  the  Republicans,  and  after  them,  the  Bonapartists,  in 

12 


134  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

order  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  Count  de  Chambord,  or  the 
Count  of  Paris.  One  of  the  chief  annoyances  of  the  Presi- 
dent was  the  opposition  to  his  measures  which  he  constantly 
encountered  in  the  Assembly.  The  utmost  violence  charac- 
terized many  of  the  debates.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that 
the  Executive  could  obtain  the  legislative  sanction  to  the 
most  necessary  and  salutary  propositions. 

In  February,  1849,  the  attention  of  France  and  of  Europe 
was  attracted  by  the  sudden  proclamation  of  a  Republic  in 
Rome.  This  result  had  been  brought  about  by  the  imbecile 
policy  pursued  by  Pius  IX.,  who  ascended  the  papal  throne 
on  the  16th  of  June,  1846.  His  measures  of  reform,  in  which 
he  persisted  for  eighteen  months,  were  intended  to  establish 
in  the  Roman  States  a  representative  form  of  government. 
But  his  partial  improvements  were  offensive  to  the  conserva- 
tives, while  they  utterly  failed  to  satisfy  the  liberals.  Rome 
became  the  resort  and  refuge  of  immense  crowds  of  Italian, 
German,  and  French  revolutionists,  of  the  Red  Republican 
school,  whose  agitations  rendered  the  state  of  affairs  more 
desperate.  Rossi,  the  Pope's  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
was  assassinated  in  open  day.  The  mob  surrounded  and 
besieged  the  Pope's  residence,  and  compelled  him  to  accept 
a  ministry  of  their  own  appointment.  Pius  IX.  at  length 
fled  to  Gaeta.  Mazzini,  and  the  Prince  of  Canino,  son  of 
Lucien  Bonaparte,  then  formed  a  provisional  government, 
proclaimed  the  Republic  of  Rome  and  the  downfall  of  the 
temporal  power  of  the  Pope. 

The  French  government  determined  to  interfere.  The  ex- 
pedition to  Civita  Yecchla  was  resolved  upon.  General 
Oudinot  was  sent  with  four  thousand  troops,  and  was  ordered 
to  invest  the  city  of  Rome.  These  troops  were  attacked  by 
the  revolutionists  who  then  held  possession  of  the  city,  and 
the  French  were  routed.  Subsequently,  General  Oudinot  re- 
ceived the  necessary  reinforcements,  and  he  was  ordered 
by  the  President  to  prepare  to  renew  the  attack  on  the 
Eternal  City. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  135 

Si 

Meanwhile  the  elections  were  held  throughout  France,  on 
the  13th  of  May,  1849,  for  the  uew  legislative  Assembly. 
The  Red  Republicans  had  greatly  increased  in  strength. 
Nearly  two  hundred  representatives  ranged  themselves  on 
their  benches.  Ledru  Rollin  had  been  returned  by  five  de- 
partments. He  was  elated  beyond  measure  with  this  success, 
and  repeatedly  exclaimed  :  "Id  a  mouth  I  shall  either  be 
dictator  or  6hot!"  The  debates  in  the  Assembly  again  ex- 
hibited the  utmost  violence  and  fury.  On  the  7th  of  June, 
Louis  Napoleon  sent  in  his  Message,  which  marked  the  com- 
mencement of  the  second  year  of  his  incumbency.  In  this 
document  he  set  forth  what  his  labors  and  endeavors  had  been 
during  the  preceding  year,  and  what  his  plans  and  wishes 
were  for  the  future. 

This  address  produced  a  favorable  impression  throughout 
France  ;  but  in  the  Assembly  it  was  furiously  attacked  by  the 
Mountain,  headed  by  Ledru  Rollin.  He  also  accused  the 
President  and  his  ministers  of  having  violated  the  fifth  article 
of  the  Constitution,  by  sending  forth  the  expedition  to  Rome. 
The  excitement  which  prevailed  in  the  Assembly  was  soon 
transformed  into  a  popular  tumult  in  the  streets.  On  the 
18th,  proclamations  appeared  in  the  Red  Republican  jour- 
nals, announcing  that  the  people  should  on  that  day  ris6  and 
overturn  the  government.  Vast  crowds  again  assembled  in 
the  streets,  bearing  flags  and  mottoes  of  a  revolutionary  cha- 
racter. But  before  their  violence  could  lead  to  any  definite 
results,  they  were  attacked  by  some  battalions  of  troops 
under  General  Changarnier,  and  immediately  dispersed.  The 
leaders  of  the  insurrection,  the  chief  of  whom  were  Ledru 
Rollin  and  M.  Consideraut,  the  Socialist,  had  assembled  in 
the  Observatory  to  form  a  Provisional  Government.  They 
were  suddenly  compelled  to  make  their  escape  through  a 
window.  They  fled  to  England;  their  confederates  were 
dispersed  and  vanquished;  the  new  "Provisional  Govern- 
ment" perished  in  its  birth  ;  and  by  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon  the  capital  —  the  most  excitable  and  frantic  in  the 


136  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

world,  —  was  again  tranquil  and  quiescent.  On  the  same 
day  that  Louis  Napoleon  achieved  this  victory  in  Paris, 
General  Oudinot  again  attacked  Rome;  he  obtained  com- 
plete possession  of  it,  overturned  the  Roman  Republic,  and 
re-established  the  papal  authority.  Mazzini  and  Garibaldi, 
in  their  turn,  fled  for  safety  to  England ;  there  to  condole  with 
the  exiled  Ledru  Rollin  and  Considerant. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  13T 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Louis  Napoleon  in  the  Workshops  of  Paris  —  Incidents  and  Escapes  — 
His  Tour  through  the  Provinces — Committee  of  Permanence — Decree 
permitting  the  Return  of  the  Bourbons  —  The  President's  Letter  to 
Colonel  Ney —  Duel  between  Thiers  and  Bixio — Victor  Hugo's  Hos- 
tility to  the  President —  New  Ministers  appointed — Sudden  growth 
of  Socialism  —  Election  of  Representatives  —  The  law  of  Universal 
Suffrage  —  Increasing  Hostility  of  the  Assembly  to  the  President — ■ 
Increase  of  the  President's  Salary — His  Second  Tour  through  the 
Provinces — Hostility  of  Changarnier  to  the  President — The  Reviews 
at  Satory — Conspiracy  to  Arrest  the  President — The  False  Message 
—  The  Revision  of  the  Constitution  discussed  —  The  President's 
Speech  at  Dijon — Universal  Suffrage  again  discussed  —  New  Cabinet 
of  the  President — State  of  France  —  Approach  of  the  Decisive 
Moment  for  Action. 

The  President  of  the  Republic  did  not  forget  to  practice 
all  those  conciliatory  arts  by  which  he  might  gain  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  the  working-classes.  It  was  frequently 
his  custom  to  leave  his  palace,  accompanied  only  by  a  young 
officer  named  Fleury,  and  traverse  on  foot  the  faubourg  St. 
Antoine,  and  others  of  the  poorest  and  most  miserable 
quarters  of  Paris.  He  entered  the  workshops,  conversed 
with  the  foremen,  heard  their  complaints,  and  sympathized 
with  the  deprivations  and  sufferings  of  those  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  toil.  Sometimes  he  went  incognito,  sometimes  he 
gave  his  name  ;  but  in  most  instances  his  conversation  and  his 
generosity  revealed  the  mystery  before  he  took  his  departure. 

On  one  occasion  he  entered  a  manufactory  of  wall-paper. 
He  knew  that  all  the  workmen  employed  in  it  were  Republi- 
cans of  the  ultra-stamp,  and  belonged  to  secret  societies. 
He  was  immediately  recognized,  and  was  received  very  coldly. 
The  walls  were  covered  with  all  kinds  of  placards,  clearly 
indicative  of  the  extreme  radicalism  of  the  inmates.  The 
12  * 


138  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

President  endeavored  to  engage  some  of  the  men  in  kindly 
conversation.  He  found  them  reserved  and  hostile.  By  dint 
of  perseverance,  however,  he  at  length  succeeded  in  drawing 
them  out;  when  they  confessed  that  the  revolution  of  1848 
had  essentially  injured  their  business.  He  then  said  in  reply : 
"We  must  have  a  little  patience.  T  promise  you  a  decided 
improvement  before  the  end  of  the  year.  I  am  endeavoring 
to  give  an  impulse  to  the  building  business,  which  will  animate 
and  improve  yours."  He  gradually  gained  their  confidence, 
and  the  wives,  sisters,  and  children  of  the  men  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, hearing  of  his  presence,  ran  to  see  him.  Before  he 
left  the  place  he  had  rendered  himself  the  general  favorite  by 
his  affability,  his  liberality,  and  the  interest  which  he  displayed 
in  the  welfare  of  the  workmen.  Such  events  took  place  fre- 
quently, and  their  influence  on  the  public  mind  was  by  no 
means  inconsiderable. 

On  the  particular  occasion  just  referred  to,  the  President 
perceived  a  young  man  who  kept  himself  haughtily  apart,  as 
if  unwilling  to  be  obliged  to  show  any  politeness.  Louis 
Napoleon  beckoned  him  to  approach.  The  man  colored, 
hesitated  an  instant,  and  then  slowly  advanced.  He  had  a 
wooden  leg. 

"You  have  served  in  Africa?"  asked  the  prince.  The 
young  man  bit  his  lips,  and  made  no  reply. 

"Ah,  it  is  the  effect  of  an  accident  then,"  said  Louis  Na- 
poleon, regretting  to  have  embarrassed  him  by  asking  him  to 
declare  the  cause  of  an  infirmity  which  his  silence  plainly 
enough  referred  to  the  unfortunate  days  of  June.  "How 
old  are  you  ?" 

"  Twenty-six,  and  I  have  a  mother  to  support. '' 

Here  an  old  lady,  neatly  but  plainly  dressed,  forced  her 
way  through  the  throng. 

"  My  prince,"  said  she,  with  simplicity,  "  I  am  his  mother. 
He  is  not  a  bad  boy,  only  they  have  put  such  ugly  notions 
into  his  head " 

"But  he  supports  you  with  his  moor,"  interrupted  Louis 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  139 

Napoleon,  to  prevent  her  going  further.  "  Have  you  no  other 
resources,  madam  ?" 

"My  poor  husband  was  killed  in  those  affairs  of  June," 
she  replied,  wiping  her  eyes. 

"  That  horrible  battle  of  June  has  had  many  victims,"  said 
Louis  Napoleon,  unwilling  to  carry  on  further  conversation 
with  a  woman  whom  he  took  for  the  widow  of  an  insurgent. 

"My  husband  did  his  duty,"  she  added,  sobbing.  "He 
was  serving  in  the  Republican  Guards  when  he  fell  to  rise  no 
more,  at  the  attack  of  the  great  barricade  of  the  Faubourg." 

"  Your  husband  died  in  the  ranks  ?  Was  he  an  old 
soldier  ?" 

"Thirty  years  in  the  service,  my  prince." 

"  Commandant  Fleury,  take  the  name  and  address  of  this 
brave  woman.  This  affair  must  be  looked  into.  It  is  only 
just  that  the  State  adopt  the  children  of  its  defenders. 
What  of  your  son  ?" 

"0  Monseigneur,"  cried  the  widow,  "when  my  husband 
received  the  ball,  my  son  was  at  the  other  side  of  the  barri- 
cade !" 

"  Well,  he  received  a  ball  too,  and  that  has  not  been  his 
greatest  punishment.  But  everything  is  forgotten  except  the 
services  of  your  husband      I  shall  remember  them." 

He  had  left  the  building  when  he  heard  a  commotion  in 
the  crowd  behind  him.  Turning,  he  perceived  the  old  lady 
leading  forward  her  son  by  the  hand. 

"  O  prince,  pardon  him,"  she  exclaimed.  "You  have  cor- 
rected him.  He  is  ashamed  of  what  he  has  done.  It  was 
all  bad  advice.  He  had  threatened,  the  unhappy  boy,  to  do 
you  an  injury,  and  now  he  is  ready  to  die  for  you." 

The  President  kept  his  word  with  the  poor  woman,  and  paid 
her  a  pension  from  his  private  purse. 

The  President  carefully  employed  every  other  opportunity 
to  win  the  favor  and  applause  of  the  populace.  The  inaugu- 
ration of  the  railroads,  and  the  festivals  which  attended  these 
events,  furnished    him    with   appropriate   occasions   of  this 


140  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

description.  His  speeches  were  short  and  to  the  purpose ; 
they  flew  with  rapidity  over  France,  and  found  a  willing  echo 
in  myriads  of  hearts.  At  Chartres,  at  Amiens,  at  Ham,  his 
former  prison,  at  Angers,  at  Tours,  at  Rouen,  at  Elbeuf,  at 
Epernay,  and  elsewhere,  his  presence,  his  demeanor,  and  his 
addresses  gained  him  great  popularity,  and  the  more  general 
confidence  of  the  nation.  The  enemies  who  obstructed  his 
pathway  to  the  supreme  power,  were  not  among  the  nation, 
but  in  the  Assembly. 

During  the  summer  of  1849  the  cholera  raged  in  Paris, 
and  some  distinguished  men,  occupying  prominent  and  im- 
portant positions,  fell  victims  to  its  fury.  The  Assembly 
resolved  to  adjourn,  in  consequence  of  the  epidemic,  from  the 
10th  of  August  to  the  1st  of  October;  but  before  so  doing 
they  appointed  a  Committee  of  Permanence,  consisting  of 
twenty-five  members  who,  during  the  interval,  should  perform 
all  the  legislative  functions. 

On  the  1st  of  October  the  Assembly  again  convened.  The 
first  proposition  which  was  made  after  the  opening  of  the 
session  was  to  annul  the  decree  which  interdicted  the  return 
of  the  Bourbon  family  to  France.  In  reference  to  this  pro- 
position the  President  sent  word,  that  he  had  no  objection  to 
it  whatever,  provided  the  same  favor  was  extended  to  the 
insurgents  of  June,  who  had  been  punished  and  transported 
without  judgment.  Before  this  matter  was  decided,  the 
attention  of  the  Assembly  was  attracted  and  absorbed  by 
another  of  greater  moment.  During  the  popular  revolution 
at  Rome,  already  referred  to,  Louis  Napoleon  had  written  a 
letter  to  Colonel  Ney,  his  orderly  officer  in  that  city,  which 
had  given  offence  to  many  persons  of  influence  in  France. 
M.  Fallaux,  the  minister  of  public  instruction,  thinking  that  the 
contents  of  the  letter  were  prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  resigned.  The  leaders  of  the  "  Order 
party"  in  Paris  now  insisted  that  the  ministers  of  Louis  Na- 
poleon should  disavow  that  letter.  This  proposition  placed 
those  officers  in  a  difficult  and  unpleasant  position  j  for  they 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  141 

wished  neither  to  offend  the  President  nor  the  Assembly.  On 
the  18th  of  October  the  matter  was  brought  up  for  discussion 
in  that  body.  During  the  excited  debate  which  ensued, 
MM.  Thiers  and  Bixio  became  involved  in  a  personal  dispute. 
Bixio  asserted  that  Thiers  had  said  the  election  of  Louis 
Napoleon,  as  President,  was  a  disgrace  to  France.  Thiers 
denied  the  accusation.  Bixio  persisted  in  it.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  the  two  representatives  retired  to  engage 
immediately  in  mortal  combat.  They  fired  two  rounds,  but 
took  care  that  nobody  should  be  hurt.  At  length  Bixio  said 
to  his  opponent :  "  It  is  possible  you  may  have  forgotten,  and 
hence  it  is  only  a  matter  of  memory."  Thiers  retorted  on 
Bixio  :  "  You  may  have  misunderstood  me,  and  hence  it  is 
only  a  matter  of  interpretation."  The  combatants  advanced, 
shook  hands  cordially,  and  returned  arm  in  arm  to  the 
Assembly  1 

This  day  and  this  debate  marked  the  commencement  of  the 
implacable  hostility  of  Victor  Hugo  to  Louis  Napoleon, 
whom  he  has  ever  since  stigmatized  as  "  Napoleon  the  Little." 
He  had  previously  been  the  friend  of  the  President,  and  his 
apostasy  can  only  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  that 
he  had  been  disappointed  in  not  receiving  the  appointment 
of  Minister  of  Public  Instruction.  It  is  also  asserted  that 
the  President  said,  sarcastically  :  "  M.  Victor  Hugo  addresses 
me  always  with  a  very  patronizing  air.  I  could  easily  under- 
stand the  reason  of  this,  if  I  made  verses  and  wrote  pieces 
for  the  theatre  1"  Whatever  may  have  been  the  real  cause, 
the  great  poet,  on  this  occasion,  ascended  the  tribune  and 
delivered  himself  of  a  long  excited  speech,  violently  abusive 
of  the  President.  He  was  loudly  cheered  by  the  Mountain, 
who  were  in  raptures  at  the  acquisition  of  so  distinguished 
and  so  able  a  confederate.  The  debate,  however,  ended  in  a 
vote  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-nine  in  favor  of  the  President, 
and  one  hundred  and  eighty  against  him. 

Yet  Louis  Napoleon  was  determined  to  dismiss  his  minis- 
ters, and  to  appoint  new  ones.    He  had  found  the  former  not 


142  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

sufficiently  obsequious  and  compliant  with  his  measures,  and 
he  had  resolved  to  procure  more  supple  tools.  A  list  of  these 
appeared  in  the  evening  Moniteur  of  the  very  day  on  which 
the  dismissal  took  place.  The  president  of  the  new  cabinet 
was  Ferdinand  Barrot,  the  distinguished  advocate,  and  bro- 
ther of  Odillon.  His  nature  was  more  manageable  than  that 
of  his  predecessor  and  relative.  This  independent  method 
of  changing  the  ministers  without  in  the  least  degree  consult- 
ing the  wishes  of  the  Assembly,  offended  that  body.  Yet  his 
majority  there  was  still  overwhelming ;  and  with  cabinet 
officers  who  were  obedient  to  his  will,  he  felt  himself  in  pos- 
session of  a  greater  accession  of  power,  and  able  more  fully 
to  execute  his  purposes,  and  concentrate  his  energies. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1850,  an  election  of  representatives 
was  to  take  place  in  France.  Trouble  and  disorder  were  an- 
ticipated. Two  agitated  years  of  the  President's  term  had 
now  transpired,  during  which  his  superior  administrative 
abilities  began  to  shine  forth.  But  as  yet  the  field  in  which 
he  was  compelled  to  exercise  them,  was  of  a  more  obscure 
character,  that  of  resistance  to  faction,  the  removal  and  sup- 
pression of  discontent,  and  the  husbanding  of  his  resources 
for  the  great  day  of  decisive  destiny  which  was  approaching 
in  the  distance. 

The  most  remarkable  feature  which,  during  the  year 
1849,  characterized  the  public  sentiment  in  France,  was  the 
sudden  and  prodigious  growth  of  Socialism.  This  was  es- 
pecially true  of  the  eastern  and  central  provinces ;  and  it 
was  a  matter  of  great  uncertainty  whether,  at  the  ensuing 
election,  the  triumph  of  that  faction  in  the  Assembly  might 
not  be  complete  and  overwhelming.  To  avoid  popular 
tumults  and  an  appeal  to  arms,  the  President  issued  a  decree 
dividing  the  country  into  five  great  military  commands,  and 
placing  each  division  of  the  army  under  generals,  of  whose 
devotion  and  fidelity  he  had  the  most  satisfactory  proof. 

The  10th  of  March  arrived,  and  the  excitement  in  Paris 
was   intense.      Thirty   representatives   were   to   be    elected 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  143 

throughout  the  country  ;  and  of  these,  three  were  to  be  chosen 
by  the  capital.  Here  there  were  but  three  parties,  the  party 
of  order,  the  Bonapartists,  and  the  Socialists.  The  latter 
triumphed,  and  their  candidates,  MM.  De  Flotte,  Vidal,  and 
Carnot,  were  chosen  by  a  large  majority.  Vidal  had  also 
been  elected  by  the  department  of  the  Upper  Rhine.  He  now 
made  his  election  serve  for  that  department ;  which  thus  ren- 
dered a  new  election  in  Paris  necessary.  The  consequence 
was  that  Eugene  Sue,  the  novelist,  was  chosen  by  the  Socialist 
faction,  and  received  a  hundred  and  twenty-six  thousand 
votes.  But  throughout  the  departments  the  majority  was 
greatly  in  favor  of  the  opponents  of  the  Socialists. 

The  first  measure  proposed  in  the  Assembly,  after  the  elec- 
tion, was  the  abrogation  of  the  great  law  of  universal  suf- 
frage. After  a  long  and  animated  debate,  it  was  decreed 
that  no  citizen  should  enjoy  the  right  of  suffrage  who  had  not 
lived  three  years  in  the  commune  for  which  he  appeared  ;  and 
the  evidence  of  such  residence  was  to  be  the  regular  insertion 
of  the  name  of  the  voter  in  the  tax-book  during  that  period 
of  time.  The  President  qualified  his  approval  of  the  mea- 
sure by  saying:  "I  am  willing  that  there  should  be  a  tem- 
porary suspension  of  the  right  of  universal  suffrage.  In  an 
urgent  crisis,  the  law  can  susj^end  a  right.  But  it  can  never 
abrogate  or  annul  it.  Universal  suffrage  must  be  restored 
as  soon  as  circumstances  permit. "  The  law  was  passed  by 
a  majority  of  two  hundred  aud  fifty,  and  the  President  signed 
the  bill. 

The  object  thus  aimed  at  by  the  abolition  of  universal  suf- 
frage was  twofold.  It  was  intended  by  the  party  of  order, 
the  Bourbonists  and  Orleanists,  to  prevent  the  re-election  of 
Louis  Napoleon  to  the  Presidency,  aud  also  to  crush  the 
growing  power  of  the  Socialists.  The  President,  neverthe- 
less, signed  the  decree  without  hesitation.  He  knew  full 
well  that  the  time  for  decisive  action  on  his  part  had  not 
yet  arrived  ;  and  he  also  knew  that  the  constant  vacillation 
of  public  sentiment  in  France  might,  and  probably  would 


144  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

reverse  what  had  just  been  decreed,  before  the  lapse  of  any 
very  long  period  of  time. 

This  was  the  last  occasion  upon  which  the  President  of 
the  Republic  and  the  Assembly  agreed  upon  the  adoption  of 
any  public  measure.  There  were  elements  of  opposition  in 
that  body  to  the  chief  of  the  State,  which  must  sooner  or 
later  result  in  decisive  hostility.  An  inevitable  collision  im- 
pended between  them.  Bourbonists  and  Orleanists  formed 
at  length  a  predominating  element  in  the  Assembly.  The 
former  urged  the  claims  of  the  Count  de  Chambord  ;  the 
latter  supported  the  pretensions  of  the  Count  de  Paris.  The 
Socialists  were  opposed  both  to  the  Bonapartists  and  the 
other  two  factions  ;  but  were  still  in  a  minority  to  each  of 
them.  Louis  Napoleon  possessed  one  great  advantage  in 
dealing  with  this  Assembly.  It  was  emphatically  a  house 
divided  against  itself. 

The  conduct  of  Louis  Napoleon  as  President  of  the  Re- 
public had  thus  far  disappointed  and  surprised  every  class 
and  faction  in  the  State.  His  own  partisans  were  delighted 
with  the  sagacity,  ability  and  energy  with  which  he  admin- 
istered the  government.  The  Bourbonists  and  Orleanists,  as 
well  as  the  Red  Republicans  and  Socialists,  were  astonished 
and  offended  by  the  same  cause.  These  parties  now  com- 
bined against  the  President  in  the  Assembly,  and  endeavored 
by  their  united  opposition  to  impede,  embarrass,  and  even  to 
crush  his  measures.  They  were  determined  to  prevent  him 
from  winning  greater  popularity  by  obtaining  greater  suc- 
cess. This  antagonism  between  the  Executive  and  the 
Legislative  branches  of  the  government  began  to  ruin  the 
interests  of  France  ;  and  this  very  antagonism,  which  became 
greater  from  day  to  day,  is  the  key  to  the  subsequent  events, 
and  especially  to  the  coup  d'etat,  which  eventually  placed 
Louis  Napoleon  on  an  imperial  throne. 

The  first  display  of  this  organized  opposition  was  made  on 
the  4th  of  June.  On  that  day  M.  Achille  Fould,  the  Minister 
of  Finance,  offered  a  motion  in  the  Assembly  to  augment  the 


OF    NATOLEON    III.  145 

lalary  of  the  President  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
francs  per  month.  The  experience  of  several  years  had  proved 
ihat  the  original  salary  of  six  hundred  thousand  francs  per 
year  was  utterly  insufficient  for  the  necessities  of  the  Presi- 
dency. This  demand  drew  forth  the  most  bitter  opposition. 
In  vain  the  Minister  of  Finance  explained  the  infinite  number 
of  calls  for  aid  which  had  been  made  upon  the  chief  of  the 
state.  "Do  we  wish  to  know,"  said  he,  "who  were  those 
beggars  whom  the  socialist  journals  treated  with  such  contempt  ? 
They  were  not  only  the  old  soldiers  of  the  empire,  veteran 
warriors  that  had  shed  their  blood  on  every  battle-field  in 
Europe  ;  these  were  only  a  small  part  of  the  number ;  they 
were  benevolent  and  charitable  societies,  who  solicited  the 
President  for  a  penny  to  relieve  abandoned  children  and  sick 
tradesmen  ;  they  were  clergymen,  who  went  about  questing 
in  behalf  of  their  falling  church  and  impoverished  dioceses ; 
they  were  artists,  composers,  men  of  letters,  who  asked  the 
head  of  the  state  to  subscribe  to  their  works-,  to  their  concerts, 
to  their  pictures,  to  their  statues ;  they  were  prefects,  mayors, 
who  thought  they  were  honoring  the  President  by  asking  him 
for  his  name  among  the  subscribers  to  monuments  that  were 
to  perpetuate  the  great  recollections  of  our  history ;  they 
were  antiquated  functionaries,  widows,  old  state-servants,  who 
wanted  a  morsel  of  bread.  This  list,  lamentably  long,  com- 
prised pensioners  of  the  old  civil  list,  chevaliers  of  St.  Louis, 
and  lastly  many  political  criminals,  and  even  a  near  relative 
of  Mazzini  1  " 

At  last,  after  a  long  and  bitter  contest,  the  law  passed  by 
a  small  majority  of  forty-six.  During  August  and  September 
of  the  year  1850,  the  Assembly  again  adjourned,  having 
first  appointed  a  Committee  of  Permanence,  composed  of 
twenty-five  members,  who  should  exercise  the  legislative 
functions  during  the  vacation.  Out  of  this  whole  number, 
Odillon  Barrot  was  the  only  member  who  was  not  opposed 
personally  and  politically  to  the  President  of  the  Republic. 
This  significant  incident  shows  the  existing  state  of  parties. 
13  k 


146  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

On  the  12th  of  August  Louis  Napoleon  again  commenced 
to  make  a  tour  through  France.  His  journey  continued  during 
a  month.  On  this  occasion  he  may  truly  be  said  to  have 
placed  his  hand  upon  the  heart  of  the  nation,  and  felt  its 
free  pulsations.  Everywhere  he  was  greeted  by  the  popu- 
lace with  applause.  He  spoke  at  the  various  banquets  which 
were  offered  him.  At  Lyons  especially,  his  speech  was  full 
of  significant  and  suggestive  remarks,  which  created  a  deep 
impression  throughout  the  nation.  He  there  asserted  that 
he  was  not  the  representative  of  a  party,  but  the  representa- 
tive of  the  great  national  manifestations  which,  in  1804  and 
in  1848,  saved,  by  the  establishment  of  order,  the  great  prin- 
ciples of  the  French  revolution.  He  called  himself  the  "Elect 
of  six  millions,"  and  declared  that  he  knew  how  to  serve 
France  in  any  capacity  in  which  she  demanded  his  services. 
He  may  be  said  at  this  time  and  on  this  occasion  to  have  pre- 
dicted the  coup  d'etat ;  for  speaking  of  the  hostile  factions 
he  used  this  expressive  language:  " I  shall  know  how  to 
reduce  these  factions  to  impotence,  by  again  invoking  the 
sovereignty  of  the  people. " 

On  his  return  to  Paris,  after  the  termination  of  his  tour, 
Louis  Napoleon  found  another  foe,  of  no  inconsiderable  con- 
sequence, arrayed  against  him.  This  was  General  Changar- 
nier,  a  violent  Orleanist,  who  had  distinguished  himself  by 
some  victories  in  Algiers,  and  also  by  his  conduct  in  the  sup- 
pression of  the  riots  in  June,  1849.  He  was  now  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  National  Guards,  and  of  the  army  of  Paris. 
He  was  a  man  of  ability,  but  exceedingly  ambitious  and 
impracticable  in  his  character.  He  had  assumed,  and  had 
almost  attained,  the  position  and  influence  of  a  third  power 
in  the  state,  and  he  claimed  to  be  equal  in  importance  to  the 
President  or  the  Assembly.  The  Legitimists  supported  him 
in  his  aims  and  measures,  hoping  thereby  eventually  to  crush 
the  President.  He  was  then  secretly  using  his  utmost  endea- 
vors to  gain  over  the  army  of  Paris,  and  to  alienate  it  from 
the  Executive.  The  contest  between  the  two  rivals  first  broke 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  14? 

forth  publicly  in  reference  to  the  respective  jurisdictions  of 
the  Minister  of  War  and  Changarnier,  as  to  whom  the  supreme 
control  of  the  army  belonged.  The  result  of  this  dispute 
was,  that  the  President  took  the  side  of  his  minister  ;  and 
that  Changarnier  immediately  formed  a  secret  conspiracy  to 
arrest,  impeach,  and  depose  the  President.  While  this  con- 
spiracy was  maturing,  some  military  reviews  were  held  at 
Sartory,  at  which  the  commander-in-chief  endeavored  to  sup- 
press the  shouts  of  Vive  Napoleon!  and  Vive  le  President! 
which  resounded  along  the  ranks.  At  a  second  review,  the 
shouts,  in  spite  of  the  prohibition,  were  louder  than  ever,  and 
Vive  VEmpereur  ! — an  ominous  and  horrible  sound  to  the 
factions  —  was  then  added  to  the  rest.  The  Committee  of 
Permanence,  at  their  next  meeting,  discussed  with  great  bit- 
terness the  occurrence  of  these  shouts.  General  Changarnier, 
who  was  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  committee,  became 
involved  in  a  personal  dispute  with  M.  D'Hautpoul,  the 
Minister  of  War,  which  greatly  increased  the  existing  bitter- 
ness. The  conspiracy  against  the  President  progressed,  and 
the  plan  adopted  was  as  follows  :  The  chief  members  of  the 
Committee  of  Permanence  were  to  draw  up  an  act  accusing 
the  President  of  exceeding  his  powers,  of  attempting  to  change 
the  form  of  government,  and  usurping  the  sovereign  authority. 
This  act  was  to  be  handed  to  M.  Dupin,  the  President  of  the 
Assembly,  who  was  also  to  sign  it.  It  was  then  to  be  given 
to  General  Changarnier,  who  was  to  arrest  Louis  Napoleon 
and  confine  him  in  prison.  The  general  was  then  to  assume 
a  dictatorship  until  the  Assembly  had  approved  of  what  had 
been  done.  He  would  then  order  an  appeal  to  the  people, 
the  majority  of  whom,  as  was  supposed,  would  decree  the 
restoration  of  the  dynasty  of  Louis  Philippe.  It  is  asserted 
that  this  act  was  really  prepared  and  signed,  and  handed  to 
M.  Dupin  ;  but  that  he,  finding  his  courage  fail  him,  kept 
the  important  document  in  his  pocket,  until  other  decisive 
events  rendered  the  execution  of  the  plot  impossible. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  1850,  the  President  sent  in  his 


148  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

annual  message  to  the  Assembly.  This  document  contained 
a  narrative  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Executive  during  the 
preceding  year,  and  a  description  of  the  then  existing  state 
of  France,  and  of  the  government.  An  amusing  incident 
occurred  in  reference  to  this  message.  On  the  morning  in 
which  it  was  sent  to  the  Assembly,  a  long  document  appeared 
in  the  columns  of  the  Presse,  purporting  to  be  that  message. 
This  allegation  was  false  ;  but  the  singularity  of  the  document 
was,  that  every  word  of  it  was  taken  from  the  various  pro- 
ductions of  the  President  of  previous  dates.  It  was  com- 
posed of  separate  sentences,  which  being  collected  together 
like  a  mosaic,  uttered  sentiments  which  he  once  professed,  but 
which  were  widely  different  from  those  expressed  in  the 
genuine  message  !  Such  a  jest  was  Parisian  in  the  extreme. 
The  public  at  first  were  startled ;  they  then  roared  with 
laughter.  The  joke  was  a  serious  one  to  the  editor  of  the 
Presse.  He  was  arrested,  tried,  convicted,  and  punished, 
for  having  "  published  false  intelligence  of  a  nature  calculated 
to  disturb  the  public  tranquility." 

The  hostility  between  the  President  and  General  Changar- 
nier  increased.  The  Assembly  continually  endeavored  to 
crush  all  the  movements  of  the  President,  and  Changarnier, 
the  third  power  in  the  State,  now  sided  with  the  Assembly. 
That  body  decreed  that  they  possessed  supreme  control  over 
the  army.  The  Minister  of  War  immediately  resigned,  as  he 
thought  his  jurisdiction  was  taken  from  him  by  the  passage 
of  that  decree.  His  resignation  was  accepted  ;  and  at  the 
same  instant  the  President  boldly  determined  to  exercise  the 
extreme  limit  of  his  authority  and  dismiss  Changarnier  from 
his  post  as  Commander-in-chief.  This  dismissal  fell  like  a 
thunder-bolt  upon  the  opposing  factions,  and  upon  the 
astounded  general  himself.  Generals  Perrot  and  D'Hilliers 
were  appointed  in  his  place.  The  Assembly  revenged  itself 
for  this  decisive  act  by  decreeing  that  Changarnier  still 
retained  unimpaired  the  confidence  of  the  legislature  and  of 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  149 

the  nation,  and  passed  a  resolution  of  want  of  confidence  in 
the  ministry. 

The  cabinet  immediately  resigned.  The  President  selected 
a  new  ministry,  composed  of  men  of  neither  party,  who  were 
not  even  members  of  the  National  Assembly.  In  this  policy 
he  displayed  his  great  independence  and  self-reliance.  But 
his  position  was  rapidly  becoming  one  of  extreme  difficulty 
and  danger.  The  secret  conspiracy  against  him,  of  which 
Changarnier  was  the  head,  acquired  increased  bitterness  and 
energy  by  the  dismissal  of  that  officer.  The  opposition  to 
him  in  the  Assembly  was  becoming  more  and  more  deter- 
mined. Every  day  the  wheels  of  government  were  approach- 
ing nearer  to  a  dead  lock ;  and  the  responsibility  of  such  a 
horrid  crisis  of  anarchy  and  ruin  would  be  thrown  by  the 
concurrent  voices  of  the  factions  on  the  President.  But 
Louis  Napoleon  possessed  the  confidence  of  the  nation  openly, 
and  of  the  army  secretly  ;  and  the  time  was  rapidly  approach- 
ing when  he  must  either  yield  ignobly,  and  be  crushed  forever 
beneath  the  endeavors  of  his  embittered  foes,  or  else  he  must 
save  himself  from  ruin  by  some  great  act  of  desperate  energy, 
resolution,  and  power,  by  which  his  enemies  would  be  over- 
thrown, and  he  be  rescued,  while  at  the  same  time  he  retained 
the  esteem  and  the  confidence  of  the  nation. 

In  May,  1851,  the  attention  of  the  nation  was  for  a  time 
engaged  in  observing  the  revision  of  the  new  Constitution  by 
the  Assembly.  The  French  people  desired  the  alteration  of 
that  Constitution,  which  was  one  of  the  most  feeble  and  absurd 
which  was  ever  devised.  It  was  confused  and  possessed 
neither  solidity  nor  compactness.  It  had  not  clearly  defined 
the  functions  and  the  jurisdictions  of  the  several  branches  of 
the  government;  and  its  operation  had  been  most  inefficient 
and  pernicious. 

On  the  1st  of  June  Louis  Napoleon  delivered  a  speech  at 

the  opening  of  the  railroad  at  Dijon.     His  progress  through 

the  country  was  in  fact  a  public  triumph  ;  and  shouts  of  Vive 

VEmpereur  greeted  him  at  every  station,  and  in  every  town 

13* 


150  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

and  village.  In  his  address  at  Dijon  he  again  vindicated  his 
measures  and  purposes,  and  again  intimated  that  he  should 
appeal  to  the  voice  of  the  nation  when  the  appropriate  crisis 
arrived.  He  declared  that  a  new  era  was  approaching,  when 
France  would  not  permit  either  the  return  of  the  ancient 
regime,  nor  the  experiment  of  new  and  dangerous  Utopias. 
In  other  words,  he  clearly  intimated  that  the  re-establishment 
of  the  Empire  could  alone  save  the  country  from  ruin. 

A  few  days  afterward  this  celebrated  speech  was  discussed 
in  the  Assembly  with  great  violence.  All  the  factions  con- 
demned it ;  but  it  elevated  its  author  very  highly  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  whole  nation.  Innumerable  petitions  were 
sent  in  to  the  Assembly  requesting  that  when  the  revision  of 
the  Constitution  took  place,  the  period  of  the  Presidency  of 
Louis  Napoleon  should  be  prolonged  to  ten  years. 

At  length,  on  the  14th  of  July,  the  discussions  on  the  re- 
vision began  in  the  Assembly.  The  Bourbonists  and  Orlean- 
ists  argued  in  favor  of  a  total  revision.  The  Red  Repub- 
licans or  Socialists  were  opposed  to  any  revision  whatever. 
The  Bonapartists  desired  that  the  forty-fifth  article,  which 
forbade  the  re-election  of  Louis  Napoleon,  should  alone  be 
altered.  When  the  final  vote  was  taken,  four  hundred  and 
forty-six  representatives  voted  in  favor  of  the  revision,  and 
two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  voted  against  it.  But  the 
Constitution  itself  had  provided  that  five  hundred  votes  at 
least  should  be  given  in  favor  of  revision,  before  a  revision 
could  take  place.  Hence  the  Constitution  remained  unaltered. 
This  result  had  been  produced  by  a  union  between  all  the 
factions  which  were  opposed  to  the  continuation  of  the  au- 
thority of  Louis  Napoleon  beyond  the  duration  of  his  first 
term  of  four  years. 

After  the  usual  recess  which  took  place  during  the  summer 
of  1851,  the  Assembly  again  convened.  One  of  the  first 
measures  offered  to  the  consideration  of  the  legislature,  was 
the  repeal  of  the  law  suppressing  universal  suffrage.  The 
ministers  proposed  an  act  giving  the  right  to  vote  to  each 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  151 

Frenchman  who  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  who  had 
resided  six  months  in  the  same  commune.  The  struggle  in 
the  Assembly  was  very  violent.  After  a  long  debate,  and 
the  utmost  exertions  on  each  side,  the  law  was  rejected  by  a 
majority  only  of  three.  Louis  Napoleon,  though  disap- 
pointed at  this  result,  was  not  disconcerted.  He  had  deter- 
mined to  grasp  the  imperial  diadem  ;  he  had  not  relinquished 
his  purpose  ;  he  was  compelled  merely  to  change  his  tactics. 
After  this  defeat  of  the  President,  his  leading  ministers 
resigned.  The  new  cabinet  consisted  of  Leroy  St.  Arnaud, 
a  general  who  had  obtained  some  distinction  in  Algiers,  and 
whom  we  shall  again  meet  on  another  field  of  military  glory, 
as  Minister  of  War ;  M.  de  Maupas,  late  Prefect  of  Haute 
Garonne,  became  Minister  of  Police ;  M.  Thorigny  was 
Minister  of  the  Interior.  The  President  now  summoned  to 
his  most  secret  councils  De  Morny,  Magnan,  and  Persigny, 
men  whose  fame  and  fortunes  have  become  inseparably  con- 
nected with  his  own.  He  clearly  perceived  that  the  great 
crisis  was  approaching  ;  that  the  country  was  becoming  more 
and  more  agitated  and  uneasy ;  that  all  the  operations  of 
government,  by  no  fault  of  his,  were  impeded,  confused,  and 
inefficient ;  that  his  enemies  were  secretly  preparing  to  con- 
summate the  conspiracy  against  his  authority,  his  liberty,  and 
even  against  his  life  ;  that  the  opposing  factions  were  already 
discussing  the  nomination  of  his  successors,  among  whom 
were  Changarnier,  Ledru  llollin,  Cavaignac,  Carnot,  the 
Prince  de  Joinville,  and  La  Rochejaquelein  ;  that  in  some 
departments  of  France,  such  as  Nievrc,  Allier,  and  Cher, 
the  desperate  populace  were  marching  through  the  country 
threatening  pillage  and  conflagration  ;  in  a  word,  that  both 
the  security  and  prosperity  of  France,  as  well  as  his  own 
rescue  from  destruction  demanded  that,  at  that  moment,  the 
last  decisive  blow  should  be  struck.  He  now  braced  him- 
self to  the  performance  of  the  great  deed ;  and  never  was  an 
act  on  which  the  future  fate  of  millions  depended,  executed 
with  more  energy,  sagacity,  and  resolution 


152  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Coup  d'Etat — Ball  at  the  FAyste  Palace  —  Louis  Napoleon  hi  his 
Cabinet — Printing  of  the  Proclamations — Their  Distribution  through- 
out the  Capital  —  Simultaneous  Arrest  of  the  chief  Enemies  of  the 
President — The  Soldiers  take  possession  of  the  Hall  of  the  Assembly 

—  Fragments  of  the  Assembly  convene  elsewhere  —  Events  of  Wed- 
nesday— Preparations  for  Thursday — Appearance  of  Paris  on  Thurs- 
day—  The  Military  —  The  Barricades — Massacres  in  the  Streets  — 
Rout  of  the  Insurgents — Defeat  of  the  Red  Republicans  —  Number 
of  Killed  and  Wounded  —  Louis  Napoleon's  Proclamation — The 
General  Election — The  President's  Active  Measures — The  Results  of 
the  Ballots — Louis  Napoleon  President  for  Ten  Years — Te  Deum  — 
The  President  Removes  to  the  Tuilleries  —  His  subsequent  Proceed- 
ings— General  Changarnier — Cavaignac — LamoricieVe — General  Leflo 

—  General  Bedeau  —  La  Grange  —  M.  Grippo  —  Colonel  Charras  — 
M.  Roger  (du  Nord)  —  M.  Baze  —  M.  Thiers  —  The  Consternation  of 
the  Historian  of  the  Revolution,  The  Consulate  and  the  Empire. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  an  achievement  in  the  life  of  this 
remarkable  man,  which  displays  such  superior  ability  and 
resolution  on  his  part,  as  to  redeem  his  fame  from  all  the 
obloquy  and  ridicule  with  which  the  abortive  conspiracies  of 
Strasburg  and  Boulogne  had  loaded  it.  Other  great  aspi- 
rants after  supreme  power  have  also  failed  in  their  first 
endeavors,  who  afterward  succeeded  in  the  attempt,  and  their 
names  have  long  been  inscribed  on  the  rolls  of  immortality. 
Such  were  Pisistratus,  the  tyrant  of  Athens,  and  Dionysius, 
the  tyrant  of  Syracuse.  And  in  the  same  admired  catalogue 
of  bold  and  gifted  adventurers,  the  pen  of  history  will  hence- 
forth forever  inscribe  the  name  of  Louis  Napoleon. 

On  Monday  evening,  December  1st,  1851,  a  gay  and 
elegant  assemblage  occupied  the  gilded  saloons  of  the  palace 
of  the  Elysee.  It  was  one  of  the  weekly  receptions  which 
the  President  of  the  Republic  gave  to  the  fashionable  world 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  153 

of  Paris.  He  himself,  on  that  occasion,  mingled  among  the 
throng  with  the  same  air  of  self-possessed  and  quiet  ease 
which  usually  characterized  him.  No  observer  who  at  that 
moment  scrutinized  his  marble  countenance,  would  for  a  mo- 
ment have  suspected  that  Louis  Napoleon  then  stood  over  a 
suppressed  volcano,  which  in  a  few  hours  was  to  break  forth 
with  prodigious  violence  ;  whose  energies  would,  unless  skil- 
fully and  successfully  directed,  involve  him  in  inevitable  ruin. 
But  such  was  the  fact.  That  night  was  the  eve  of  one  of  the 
most  decisive  and  important  events  in  modern  history  ;  and 
he  who  had  long  planned  its  details  in  secret,  who  had  antici- 
pated and  guarded  every  possible  contingency,  who  was  about 
to  strike  a  desperate  blow  which  would  secure  him  either  an 
imperial  diadem  or  an  ignominious  scaffold,  was  as  calm,  to 
all  outward  seeming,  as  a  sleeping  infant  1 

At  midnight  the  company  disappeared,  and  the  arch-con- 
spirator withdrew  to  his  secret  cabinet.  He  was  accompanied 
only  by  M.  Mocquard,  his  private  secretary.  In  a  short 
time  three  persons  were  admitted.  These  were  M.  de  Per- 
signy,  General  St.  Arnaud,  and  M.  de  Moray,  the  step-bro- 
ther of  the  President,  an  illegitimate  son  of  Queen  Hortense. 
These  were  the  three  chief  confederates  of  the  President  in 
the  planning  and  execution  of  the  coup  d'etat.  This  was 
their  last  conference  before  the  blow  was  struck.  Some  im- 
portant details  yet  remained  to  be  completed  during  the  hours 
of  that  night,  which  were  entrusted  to  their  hands.  After 
some  consultation,  the  prince,  taking  a  small  key  which  was 
suspended  from  his  watch-guard,  opened  the  drawer  of  a 
bureau,  and  gave  to  each  of  his  chief  accomplices  a  sealed 
packet.  These  packets  contained  their  last  written  instruc- 
tions. Then  shaking  each  one  by  the  hand,  he  dismissed 
them  to  their  respective  posts  of  duty. 

Paris  during  that  night  reposed  in  her  usual  tranquility. 
The  gay  myriads  who  reveled  in  her  stately  dwellings,  and 
the  unhappy  and  dependent  multitudes  who  crowded  her 
humbler  abodes,  slept  or  waked  apprehensive  of  no  change. 


154  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

While  they  slumbered  the  conspirators  were  busy.  M.  de 
Beville,  an  orderly  sergeant  of  the  President,  proceeded  in  a 
carriage  at  one  o'clock  to  the  government  printing-office, 
superintended  by  M.  Georges,  for  the  purpose  of  having  the 
proclamations  printed.  He  had  previously  informed  Georges 
that  some  important  work  was  to  be  done  that  night,  and  had 
instructed  him  to  have  his  workmen  in  their  places.  The 
manuscript  proclamations  were  immediately  put  into  their 
hands,  and  in  an  hour  the  printing  was  completed.  Mean- 
while, however,  the  printing  office  had  been  quietly  surrounded 
by  a  guard,  the  doors  locked,  and  no  one  permitted  to  leave 
until  next  morning.  Beville  then  distributed  the  proclama- 
tions to  trusty  posters,  employed  by  M.  Maupas,  the  Chief 
of  Police,  for  that  purpose.  In  an  hour  every  prominent 
place  in  the  capital  was  plastered  over  with  proclamations. 
One  of  these  was  a  decree  which  announced  that  the  National 
Assembly  was  dissolved,  that  universal  suffrage  was  re-estab- 
lished, that  the  Council  of  State  was  dismissed,  that  the  first 
military  division  was  placed  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  that  the 
French  people  were  convoked  for  their  votes  from  the  14th  to 
the  21st  of  December.  Another  proclamation  was  addressed 
to  the  army,  which  was  well  adapted  to  win  their  adhesion 
to  the  cause  of  the  usurper.  The  third  proclamation  was 
addressed  to  the  nation,  in  which  the  President  set  forth  the 
anarchy  and  imbecility  of  the  government,  resulting  from  the 
hostility  of  the  Assembly  ;  made  an  appeal  to  the  voice  of 
the  entire  nation  ;  invited  them  to  vote  upon  the  question  of 
a  "  responsible  chief  for  ten  years  ;"  ministers  to  be  dependent 
on  the  Executive,  and  a  legislative  assembly  to  be  composed 
of  two  branches,  the  one  to  counterbalance  the  other.  Every 
Frenchman  who  was  entitled  to  vote  was  called  upon  to 
decide  whether  the  authority  of  the  President  should  be  con- 
tinued ;  and  the  polls  were  to  remain  open  during  eight  days. 
When  the  Parisians  awoke  in  the  morning,  they  found 
these  proclamations  boldly  staring  them  in  the  face  from 
every  corner  of  the  street.     But  while  this  part  of  the  con- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  155 

spiracy  was  thus  completed,  other  and  more  difficult  portions 
of  it  were  being  admirably  executed.  The  Chief  of  Police, 
M.  de  Maupas,  distributed  a  proclamation  of  his  own,  direct- 
ing that  all  good  citizens  should  assist  in  preserving  order, 
and  declaring  that  every  violation  of  the  public  peace  should 
be  severely  punished.  During  the  early  hours  of  the  morning 
of  the  second  of  December,  before  the  darkness  had  given 
place  to  the  dawn,  large  bodies  of  troops  were  quietly  entering 
the  capital  from  every  direction,  and  were  taking  the  posi- 
tions respectively  assigned  them,  on  the  Boulevards,  the  Quay 
d'Orsay,  the  Carousal,  the  Garden  of  the  Tuilleries,  the  Place 
Concord,  and  the  Champs  Elysees.  At  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  General  Magnan,  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Army  of  Paris,  having  received  his  secret  orders  from  the 
President,  had  transmitted  them  to  his  subordinates ;  and 
these  dispositions  had  been  made  in  accordance  with  those 
instructions. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  office  of  the  Minister 
of  Police  was  filled  by  secret  and  trusty  agents,  and  by  forty 
commissaries  who  had  been  notified  to  be  in  attendance  at 
that  time.  They  were  placed  in  possession,  separately,  of 
warrants  for  the  arrest  of  certain  distinguished  persons  in  the 
capital.  The  ringing  of  a  small  bell  summoned  them  suc- 
cessively into  the  inner  cabinet  of  the  chief,  who  gave  them 
their  instructions,  and  then  dismissed  them.  Each  one  was 
accompanied  by  fifteen  or  twenty  soldiers  ;  he  was  ordered  to 
make  the  arrest  entrusted  to  him  precisely  at  five  minutes 
after  six  o'clock ;  and  detachments  of  troops  were  stationed 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  house  of  each  captive,  to  protect  the 
agents  of  the  government  from  the  interference  of  the  popu- 
lace. Every  arrest  was  made  successfully,  and  without  any 
public  disturbance.  Seventy-eight  captures  were  thus  exe- 
cuted at  the  same  moment.  Eighteen  were  influential  mem- 
bers of  the  Assembly.  The  rest  were  distinguished  generals, 
orators,  leaders  of  secret  societies,  commanders  of  barricades, 
and  hostile  editors.      They  were  all  conveyed  by  different 


156  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

routes  to  the  prison  called  Mazas,  situated  in  the  south-eastern 
part  of  Paris.1 

But  all  the  details  of  the  conspiracy  had  not  yet  been  com- 
pleted. At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  M.  Persigny,  attended 
by  the  forty-second  regiment  of  the  line,  marched  to  the  Hall 
of  the  National  Assembly,  and  took  possession  of  the  courts 
around  it.  The  soldiers  then  entered  the  Hall,  occupied  it, 
and  arrested  the  questors  who  were  in  attendance.  At  the 
same  time,  M.  de  Morny,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  chasseurs,  invaded  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior ;  assumed 
the  functions  of  the  chief  of  that  office,  who  had  been  dis- 
missed the  night  before;  and  dictated  a  circular  to  be  de- 
spatched by  telegraph  to  all  the  prefects  of  the  departments 
of  France. 

Although  the  Hall  of  the  Assembly  was  occupied  by  the 
troops,  sixty  representatives  succeeded,  early  in  the  morning, 
in  entering  the  building,  one  by  one.  They  met  together  in 
one  of  the  committee-rooms,  and  sent  for  M.  Dupin,  the  Pre- 
sident. He  arrived,  and  a  moment  after  the  room  was  oc- 
cupied by  the  military.  M.  Dupin  then  spoke,  and  protested 
in  the  name  of  the  Assembly  against  the  violent  measures 
which  were  in  progress ;  but  turning  to  the  representatives 
present,  he  told  them  that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  anything 
against  force,  and  advised  them  to  disperse.  The  represen- 
tatives followed  his  suggestion,  but  they  met  again  at  the 
residence  of  M.  Daru,  one  of  the  vice-presidents.  Other 
fragments  of  the  Assembly  convened  at  different  places,  some 
at  the  house  of  M.  Cremieux,  and  others  in  an  obscure  and 
filthy  retreat  in  the  faubourg  St.  Antoine.  These  passed  de- 
crees charging  Louis  Napoleon  with  the  crime  of  high  treason, 
copies  of  which  decrees  were  afterward  distributed  through 
Paris,  and  became  the  cause  of  some  of  the  fatal  collisions 


1  Vide:  Le  Coup  d'Etat  de  Louis  Bonaparte,  Histoire  de  la  Persecution 
de  Decembre,  Evenemens,  Prisons,  Casementes,  et  Pontons.  Par  Javier 
Durrieu,  ancient  Representant  da  Peuple,  8vo,  p.  192. 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  157 

which  took  place  on  the  succeeding  Thursday.  Another  por- 
tion of  the  Assembly  met  at  the  Mayoralty  of  the  Tenth  Ar~ 
rondissement.  They  scarcely  amounted  to  one-third  of  the 
whole  body.  They  voted  the  deposition  of  the  President,  the 
appointment  of  General  Oudinot  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
parliamentary  forces,  and  General  Lauriston  Commander 
of  the  National  Guard.  Their  dangerous  proceedings  were 
interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  troops.  They  refused  to  dis- 
perse. They  were  consequently  all  arrested,  and  confined  in 
the  barracks  of  the  Quay  d'Orsay.  They  amounted  in  num- 
ber to  two  hundred  and  twenty. 

Thus  passed  off  the  memorable  second  of  December,  1851, 
the  first  day  of  the  world-renowned  coup  d'etat.  Not  a  drop 
of  blood  had  yet  been  spilled  ;  and  Louis  Napoleon  contem- 
plated with  exultation,  in  the  privacy  of  his  cabinet  in  the 
palace,  the  commencement,  and  perhaps  the  successful  termi- 
nation, of  this  most  remarkable  and  daring  movement,  which 
opened  to  him  the  secure  and  inevitable  pathway  to  the  im- 
perial throne. 

Wednesday,  the  third  of  December,  dawned.  During  the 
previous  night,  the  hostile  factions  had  not  been  idle.  Ap- 
palled and  astounded  as  they  had  been,  by  the  suddenness, 
the  mystery,  and  the  simultaneous  vigor  of  the  blow  which 
had  prostrated  at  the  same  instant  so  many  of  the  enemies 
of  the  President,  they  were  not  yet  disheartened.  They 
had  held  secret  meetings  at  the  Cafe  Tortoni,  at  the  Cafe  de 
Paris,  and  in  the  Italian  Boulevards.  Here  the  decrees  of 
the  fragments  of  the  National  Assembly  were  read  and  ap- 
proved. The  three  great  measures  of  the  President  on  the 
first  day  of  the  movement,  had  been  so  successfully  and  sud- 
denly executed,  that  resistance  in  order  to  be  efficient  must 
be  deliberate.  Those  three  measures  were  the  arrest  of  dan- 
gerous persons  ;  the  occupation  of  the  Hall  of  the  Assembly  ; 
and  the  distribution  of  troops  to  the  number  of  fifty  thou- 
sand, to  all  the  necessary  portions  of  the  capital.  Appre- 
hensive of  an  impending  conflict,  the  stores  and  shops  re- 
14 


158  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

ruained  closed  during  Wednesday  ;  although  the  Boulevards 
were  crowded  with  people.  At  three  o'clock  on  the  after- 
noon of  this  day,  Louis  Napoleon  boldly  rode  with  several 
attendants  along  the  principal  streets,  and  reviewed  a  division 
of  cavalry  in  the  Champs  Elysdes.  In  the  evening  the  Presi- 
dential palace  was  thrown  open,  and  a  general  reception 
took  place.  The  success  of  the  coup  d'etat  was  now  re- 
garded as  certain  by  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
capital ;  as  was  evinced  by  the  large  number  of  prominent 
personages  who,  on  that  occasion,  tendered  their  services  and 
allegiance  to  the  President.  During  Wednesday,  December 
3d,  Paris  remained  tranquil.  The  theatres  were  all  crowded 
in  the  evening.  Never  had  a  more  brilliant  and  splendid 
audience  graced  the  Italian  Opera.  The  capital  seemed  as 
much  as  ever  the  gay  centre  of  the  world's  luxury,  magnifi- 
cence and  vice.  But  Thursday,  the  great  day  of  carnage 
and  blood,  was  rapidly  approaching. 

Louis  Napoleon  anticipating  the  coming  danger  had  pre- 
pared for  it.  The  morning  light  revealed  to  the  astonished 
Parisians,  long  and  almost  endless  lines  of  soldiers  drawn  up 
on  both  sides  of  the  Boulevards,  and  on  all  the  great 
thoroughfares.  The  soldiers  had  been  abundantly  supplied 
with  brandy  before  leaving  their  barracks ;  and  they  were 
disposed  to  be  furious  and  bloody.  The  opposing  factions 
had  been  at  work,  and  this  was  the  day  upon  which  they  re- 
solved to  try  their  strength.  They  had  determined  that 
France  should  not  be  surrendered  to  the  usurper  without  a 
desperate  struggle.  The  following  appeal,  among  others, 
was  posted  on  the  Boulevards,  signed  by  Victor  Hugo  : 
"Art.  68.  The  Constitution  is  entrusted  to  the  protection 
and  patriotism  of  the  French  citizens.  Louis  Napoleon  is 
outlawed.  The  state  of  siege  is  abolished.  Universal  suf- 
frage is  re-established.  Yive  la  Republique.  To  arms ! 
For  the  United  Mountain."1 

1  See  Eistoire  des  Crimes  du  deux  Decembre,  par  Victor  Schoelchur,  Re- 
prSiantant  de  reuple,  passim.     The  several  works  published  by  the  irate 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  159 

Early  in  the  morning,  barricades  were  erected  in  many  of 
the  streets.  They  were  attacked  and  taken  by  the  troops 
with  little  difficulty.  At  one  of  these,  the  representative 
Baudin  was  killed  ;  and  he  was  the  first  who  fell.  The  min- 
ister of  war  published  a  proclamation,  advising  all  the  in- 
habitants of  the  capital  to  remain  in  their  houses  ;  and  de- 
claring that  all  who  were  found  defending  the  barricades,  or 
taken  with  arms  in  their  hands,  should  be  shot.  The  chief 
barricades  had  been  erected  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Porte 
St.  Denis,  the  Porte  St.  Martin,  and  in  the  streets  adjacent 
to  them.  The  troops  were  quietly  demolishing  these  until 
twelve  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  St.  Arnaud,  the  Minister  of 
War,  had  entrusted  the  conduct  of  affairs  on  this  critical  occa- 
sion, to  General  Magnan.  As  the  middle  of  the  day  ap- 
proached, the  excitement  throughout  the  capital  became 
more  and  more  intense.  Still  the  troops  made  no  hostile  de- 
monstration, and  their  apparent  reluctance  filled  the  Red 
Republicans  with  hope.  The  streets  were  now  full  of  tumul- 
tuous crowds  ;  and  at  two  o'clock  the  general  order  was  given 
to  all  the  troops  to  advance  simultaneously  and  clear  the 
streets.  They  obeyed.  The  division  which  marched  along 
the  Boulevards  was  fired  upon  from  the  roofs  and  windows  ; 
and  then  the  general  massacre  began.  An  irregular  battle 
ensued,  which  continued  for  several  hours.  Many  were  slain 
on  both  sides.  The  streets  were  thus  gradually  cleared  ;  but 
the  ground  was  covered  with  the  bodies  of  the  dying  and  the 
dead.  Some  were  killed  who  took  no  share  whatever  in  the 
conflict,  but  had  been  drawn  by  curiosity  to  their  windows. 
As  the  soldiers  could  not  distinguish  between  friends  and 
foes,  many  innocent  persons  fell  victims  to  their  imprudence 
and  carelessness. 

During  several  hours  the  capital  was  the  scene  of  an  irregu- 
lar conflict ;  but  by  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  all  was  over. 


and  frantic  Schoelchur  in  reference  to  Louis  Napoleon,  should  be  read 
with  caution;  his  passions  have  led  him  always  to  exaggerate,  and  his 
statements  must  be  received  cum  grano  salis. 


160  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Tranquility  was  again  restored.  The  victorious  troops 
retained  possession  of  the  streets ;  the  vanquished  citizens 
and  insurgents  remained  concealed  in  their  houses.  The  dead 
were  quickly  buried,  and  numerous  patrols  which  scoured  the 
city  in  all  directions,  arrested  every  person  whose  appearance 
and  movements  were  in  the  least  degree  suspicious.  During 
Thursday  night,  silence,  not  unmingled  with  terror,  pervaded 
the  capital.  When  Friday  dawned,  no  sign  of  resistance  was 
exhibited.  The  opposing  factions  had  been  completely 
crushed.  The  troops  marched  through  every  part  of  the 
city,  but  no  foe  appeared.  The  bold  coup  d'etat  of  the 
President  had  been  completely  successful.  He  who  had 
blundered  and  failed  so  ignominiously  at  Strasburg  and  Bou- 
logne had  triumphed  gloriously  at  Paris. 

The  number  of  killed  and  wounded  during  this  memorable 
struggle  has  been  variously  estimated,  and  in  some  instances 
absurdly  magnified.  The  most  reliable  supposition  is  that 
which  places  the  number  of  slain  at  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five,  and  the  wounded  at  four  hundred.  Of  these,  there  were 
thirty  killed  and  a  hundred  and  eighty  wounded  on  the  part 
of  the  soldiers.  Throughout  the  country  the  excitement  be- 
came intense.  There  were  insurrections  in  twenty-five  depart- 
ments at  once.  The  Socialists  were  at  the  bottom  of  these 
movements,  and  their  fury  was  expended  against  all  those 
who  represented  order,  wealth,  rank  and  respectability.  In 
some  places  the  churches  were  burned,  the  priests  were 
assaulted,  women  were  outraged  ;  murder,  pillage,  and  con- 
flagration prevailed.  But  all  these  disorders  were  gradually 
put  down  by  the  army  and  by  the  decisive  and  rapid  measures 
adopted  by  the  President.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  memo- 
rable week  all  the  disturbances  were  quelled ;  order  again 
reigned  throughout  France,  the  capital  was  tranquil,  the  dead 
were  buried,  the  wounded  were  conveyed  to  the  hospitals,  the 
most  active  and  dangerous  anarchists  were  imprisoned,  the 
Assembly  was  obliterated,  and  Louis  Napoleon  had  realized 
at  last  the  life-long  aspiration  of  his  heart ;  the  dying  prayer 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  161 

of  Hortense  was  at  length  fulfilled,  and  her  son,  the  heir  of 
the  great  Napoleon,  had  become  the  absolute  ruler  of  France  ! 

Order  having  been  restored  and  submission  enforced  through- 
out the  capital  and  throughout  France,  by  the  efficient  aid  of 
the  soldiery,  Louis  Napoleon  addressed  the  following  procla- 
mation to  the  French  people  on  Monday,  December  8th,  one 
week  after  the  commencement  of  the  coup  d'etat  : 

"Frenchmen:  The  disturbances  are  quelled.  Whatever 
may  be  the  decision  of  the  people,  society  is  re-established. 
The  first  part  of  my  task  is  fulfilled  ;  I  knew  that  by  appeal- 
ing to  the  nation  to  put  an  end  to  party  dissensions,  I  should 
not  endanger  the  public  security. 

"  Why  should  the  people  revolt  against  me  ? 

"  If  I  no  longer  possess  your  confidence,  if  your  ideas  are 
changed,  it  is  unnecessary  to  have  recourse  to  insurrection  : 
it  is  enough  to  deposit  a  negative  vote  in  the  ballot-box.  I 
shall  always  respect  the  decree  of  the  people. 

"But,  until  the  voice  of  the  nation  has  been  heard,  I  shall 
not  shrink  from  any  effort,  from  any  sacrifice,  to  foil  the 
attempts  of  the  disaffected.  Besides,  this  has  now  become 
an  easy  task. 

"  On  the  one  hand,  there  has  been  shown  the  folly  of  con- 
tending against  an  army,  united  by  the  ties  of  discipline,  and 
inspired  by  the  sentiments  of  military  glory  and  devotion  to 
the  country. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  the  calm  attitude  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Paris,  and  the  disapproval  with  which  they  blighted  the 
insurrection,  fully  proved  on  which  side  the  capital  declared 
itself. 

"  In  those  populous  wards  where  sedition  formerly  broke 
forth  so  readily  amongst  workmen,  ever  ready  to  obey  its 
impulses,  anarchy,  this  time,  has  only  encountered  a  profound 
and  steady  repugnance  for  its  illusions 

"Thanks  to  the  intelligent  and   patriotic  inhabitants    of 
Paris.     Let  them  rest  assured  that  my  only  ambition  is  to 
insure  peace  and  prosperity  to  France 
14*  L 


162  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

"Let  them  continue  to  lend  their  aid  to  the  government, 
and  the  country  shall  soon  quietly  accomplish  the  solemn  act 
which  should  usher  in  a  new  era  to  the  republic." 

The  President  immediately  followed  up  this  proclamation 
with  other  decrees  which  tended  to  promote  order,  submission, 
security,  and  the  happiness  of  the  people.  He  restored  the 
church  of  St  Genevieve  to  its  original  purpose,  the  service 
of  religion.  Other  grave  changes  were  quickly  made,  which 
were  calculated  to  obliterate  the  reign  and  influence  of  infi- 
delity, confusion,  and  the  absurd  extremes  of  socialism.  But 
the  chief  matter  which  occupied  the  attention  of  the  President 
at  this  crisis,  was  the  proper  management  of  the  general 
election  which  was  about  to  ensue  ;  when  the  French  people 
were  to  vote  upon  the  proposed  presidency  of  ten  years,  and 
to  signify  their  approval  of  the  results  of  the  coup  d'etat. 

This  general  election  was  in  reality  a  stupendous  farce. 
Orders  were  sent  beforehand  to  all  the  prefects  and  military 
commanders,  directing  them  to  take  every  precaution  to 
secure  a  vast  majority  of  ballots  for  the  President.  The 
voters  were  forbidden  to  use  the  ballot-box.  They  were  com- 
pelled to  give  their  suffrages  openly.  They  marched  to  the 
polls  between  double  rows  of  fixed  bayonets.  The  partisans 
and  agents  of  the  President  were  dispersed  all  over  the  coun- 
try, and  were  active  both  day  and  night  in  making  converts 
to  his  cause.  He  proclaimed  a  decree  immediately  before 
the  election,  denouncing  socialism  and  secret  societies,  and 
threatening  transportation  to  Cayenne  to  all  who  dared  to 
defend  their  doctrines  or  support  their  measures.  The  pro- 
cess of  extermination  was  actually  commenced,  and  eight 
thousand  Red  Republicans  were  arrested  and  thrown  into 
prison,  and  afterward  sent  to  perisn  or  to  pine  upon  the  bleak 
wastes  of  that  distant  colony. 

The  ballotings  commenced  throughout  France  on  the 
20th  of  December.  The  President  and  his  emissaries  had 
executed  all  their  plans  with  energy  and  success.  Between 
the  prevalent  desire  of  peace  and  order,  the  wishes  of  the 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  163 

great  Bonaparte  faction,  and  the  terror  which  controlled 
their  enemies,  there  could  be  no  uncertainty  as  to  the  result. 
The  Royalists  or  Legitimists,  and  the  Socialists,  did  not  dare 
to  approach  the  polls,  which  were  everywhere  surrounded  by 
a  stern  array  of  military  power.  In  many  communes  there 
was  not  a  single  negative  vote  deposited.  On  the  31st  of 
December,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  members  of 
the  committee  appointed  to  present  to  the  President  the  re- 
turns of  the  election,  proceeded  to  the  Palace  Elysee  to  per- 
form that  duty.  The  result  of  the  election  held  in  eighty- 
six  departments  of  France,  in  Algiers,  in  the  army  and  in 
the  navy,  gave  the  President  a  vast  majority.1  Louis  Napo- 
leon was  President  of  France  for  ten  years  ;  and  in  reply  to 
the  address  of  the  committee,  he  expressed  his  thanks  to 
the  nation  which  had  so  liberally  supported  him,  saying  no- 
thing however  of  the  tyranny  and  terror  which  had  influenced 
the  votes  of  so  many  myriads  of  the  electors. 

On  the  next  day,  Sunday,  Jauuary  1st,  1852,  the  ancient 
cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  in  Paris,  was  decorated  with  all 
possible  splendor ;  a  Te  Deum  was  chanted  by  the  Arch- 
bishop, attended  by  a  large  concourse  of  priests,  and  the 
utmost  pomp  and  grandeur  of  the  Catholic  service  were  ex- 
pended upon  the  imposing  ceremonial.  After  the  conclusion 
of  the  service,  the  President  for  Ten  Years,  or  in  other 
words,  the  Emperor  of  France,  Napoleon  III.,  returned  to 
the  Palace  of  the  Tuilleries,  the  former  abode  of  imperial 
state,  where  he  has  ever  since  continued  to  reside. 

Thus  terminated  in  complete  success,  the  bold  and  des- 
perate stroke  of  Louis  Napoleon,  for  the  attainment  of  the 
supreme  power.  The  most  dangerous  and  perhaps  the  most 
difficult  portion  of  his  life-task  had  been  accomplished.  Yet  a 
vast  deal  remained  to  be  achieved,  before  his  power,  his  glory, 

1  Total  number  of  votes 8,116  773 

In  the  affirmative 7  430,216 

In  the  negative 640.737 

Irregular  votes 36  820 


164  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

and  even  his  reputation,  could  be  placed  upon  a  secure  eleva- 
tion, where  they  would  be  unassailable.  To  the  completion  of 
his  mighty  and  ambitious  work,  he  now  assiduously  addressed 
himself.  But  before  we  proceed  to  narrate  the  history  of  the 
events  which  ensued  after  the  coup  d'etat,  let  us  glance  more 
in  detail  at  some  of  the  less  important  but  not  less  interesting 
events  associated  with  the  great  blow  in  Paris.  The  inci- 
dents connected  with  the  arrest  of  the  chief  opponents  of  the 
President  were  diverting  in  the  extreme  ;  and  we  give  them 
mainly  as  taken  from  the  narrative  of  a  contemporary  writer  : 

The  arrest  of  General  Changarnier,  the  most  important 
of  all,  had  been  entrusted  to  two  men  of  extraordinary  energy, 
Leras,  commissary  of  police,  and  Baudinet,  captain  of  the 
Republican  Guard.  They  were  assisted  by  fifteen  chosen 
agents,  thirteen  Republican  Guards,  and  by  a  picket  of  ten 
men  on  horseback. 

At  five  minutes  past  six,  Leras  rang  at  the  door  of  the 
general's  house.  The  porter  refused  to  open  the  gate,  and 
being  evidently  on  his  guard,  an  agent  was  ordered  in  a  low 
voice  to  talk  to  him  so  as  to  occupy  him  at  the  gate,  and  pre- 
vent his  giving  warning  to  the  general.  By  the  side  of  the 
gate  and  belonging  to  the  house,  was  a  grocer's  shop ;  some 
customers  were  already  at  the  counter,  and  it  occurred  to 
Leras  that  the  grocer's  lodgings  must  communicate  with  the 
yard.  He  went  into  the  store  and  demanded  the  key  of  the 
passage  in  an  authoritative  tone ;  he  obtained  it,  and  entered 
the  house  with  his  followers.  The  porter  had  already  given 
the  alarm  by  a  loud  ringing  of  the  bells.  Leras  rushed  up 
the  stairs,  and  hastily  entered  the  general's  apartment.  At 
the  same  moment  an  inner  door  was  opened,  and  the  general 
appeared  at  his  bedroom  door,  in  his  shirt,  with  bare  feet, 
and  a  pistol  in  each  hand. 

The  commissary  caught  his  arms,  and  said,  "What  are 
yon  about,  general  ?  Your  life  is  not  in  danger.  Why  defend 
it  ?  I  came  to  arrest  you.  We  are  thirty  to  one.  Resistance 
is  useless  " 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  165 

The  general  became  calm,  gave  up  his  pistols,  and  said, 
"  I  will  follow  you  —  I  am  going  to  dress  myself."  He  was 
then  attired  by  his  servant,  and  observed  to  Leras  :  "  I  know 
M.  de  Maupas  to  be  a  gentleman  ;  will  you  tell  him  that  I 
depend  on  his  courtesy  not  to  deprive  me  of  my  servant, 
whom  I  cannot  do  without?"  The  request  was  instantly 
granted.  A  carriage  was  at  the  door ;  the  general  took  his 
seat  in  it,  two  agents  sitting  before  him,  and  Leras  by  his 
side.  He  still  maintained  a  proud,  defiant  air,  and  occasion- 
ally looked  out  of  the  windows,  as  if  expecting  to  see  some 
disturbance. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  he  to  the  commissary,  "what  a 
narrow  escape  you  have  had  ?  In  one  second  more  you  were 
a  dead  man  !  I  should  have  regretted  it,  however,  for  I  see 
you  had  no  arms,  and  only  did  your  duty." 

"  If  you  had  killed  me,  general,"  said  Leras,  "you  would 
have  only  made  a  widow  and  four  orphans  to  no  purpose." 

"But  what  is  this  coup  d'etat  for?"  abruptly  asked  the 
general.  "  The  President's  re-election  was  certain.  He  is 
giving  himself  much  needless  trouble."  The  commissary  did 
not  answer  these  questions. 

When  informed  that  he  was  only  going  to  prison,  he 
became  more  calm.  He  had  at  first  supposed  they  were 
taking  him  to  Vincennes  to  be  shot.  During  the  journey  he 
remarked  :  "  When  the  President  is  engaged  in  a  foreign  war, 
he  will  be  glad  to  send  for  me,  to  intrust  me  with  the  com- 
mand of  an  army. "  The  carriage  stopped  before  the  gate  of 
the  prison  called  Mazas,  situated  in  the  south-east  of  Paris, 
very  strong,  but  new,  clean,  and  airy.  Here  the  general  was 
safely  secured,  though  invariably  treated  with  every  respect. 

The  arrest  of  General  Cavaignac  was  effected  with  no 
less  ease  and  promptitude.  The  general  was  asleep  when  the 
commissary  knocked  at  the  door  of  his  humble  residence,  in 
the  Rue  du  Helder.  Admission  was  refused,  and  the  com- 
missary threatened  to  burst  it  open,  when  the  general  opened 
it   himself.     The  commissary  said,    "General,  you  are  mj 


166  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

prisoner ;  all  resistance  is  useless  ;  I  am  ordered  to  seize  your 
person  in  virtue  of  a  warrant  which  I  will  read  to  you." 

The  general  was  greatly  exasperated.  He  struck  the 
table  with  his  fist,  and  used  some  very  violent  expressions. 
The  commissary  tried  to  calm  him,  but  the  general  said, 
"  What  do  you  mean  by  arresting  me  ?  Give  me  your  names." 
"Certainly,  general,"  replied  the  commissary  ;  "we  will  not 
conceal  them  from  you  ;  but  this  is  not  the  time.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  dress  and  follow  us." 

The  general  quickly  recovered  his  dignity.  "  It  is  well, 
sir,"  said  he.  "  Send  out  your  people  ;  let  me  dress,  and  I 
will  be  ready  in  a  moment."  The  commissary  complied,  and 
the  general  again  said,  "  Sir,  grant  me  two  favors  ;  one  is  per- 
mission to  write  a  letter  to  a  lady  whom  I  was  to  marry  the  day 
after  to-morrow  ;  the  other  is  that  I  may  go  with  you  alone 
to  ray  place  of  destination."  The  commissary  readily  acqui- 
esced. The  letter  to  Mademoiselle  Odier,  the  lady  in  ques- 
tion, released  her  from  the  engagement  between  them  ;  but 
the  general  soon  received  a  reply,  stating  that  she  considered 
the  arrest  only  an  additional  reason  why  she  should  remain 
faithful  to  it. 

In  the  carriage  the  general  asked,  "Where  are  you  taking 
me?"  "To  Mazas,"  was  replied.  "Am  I  the  only  one 
arrested  ?"  "  General,  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  answer  that 
question."  For  the  rest  of  the  journey  the  prisoner  main- 
tained a  gloomy  silence. 

General  Lamoriciere  was  also  fast  asleep  when  the  com- 
missary rang  the  bell.  The  domestic  opened  the  door,  but 
seeing  the  multitude,  he  ran  away,  shouting,  "  Thieves  !"  He 
was  soon  caught,  however,  and  compelled  to  conduct  the 
commissary  to  his  master's  room.  The  general  arose  without 
a  word,  and  began  to  dress  himself.  Looking  towards  the 
chimney-piece,  he  asked  the  servant  what  had  become  of  the 
money  he  had  placed  there. 

"  It  is  put  away  safely,"  said  the  servant. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  167 

"  Sir,"  said  the  commissary,  "  that  observation  is  very  in- 
sulting to  me.     Do  you  take  us  for  thieves  ?" 

"And  how  do  I  know  that  you  are  not?"  asked  the 
general.  The  commissary  showed  him  the  badge  and  read 
the  warrant  for  his  arrest.     The  general  was  then  silent 

As  they  were  going  to  the  carriage  the  commissary  said : 
"  General,  I  have  orders  from  the  prefect  of  police  to  treat 
you  with  all  possible  consideration,  and  I  wish  to  act  with 
the  greatest  leniency ;  I  will  put  you  into  a  carriage  alone 
with  myself,  if  you  will  give  me  your  word  of  honor  that  you 
will  not  attempt  to  escape."  "I  promise  nothing,  I  answer 
for  nothing,"  hastily  replied  the  general ;  "  do  with  me  as  you 
please." 

In  passing  by  the  Palace  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  he  put 
his  head  out  of  the  window,  and  attempted  to  harangue  the 
soldiers.  But  the  commissary  drew  him  back,  let  down  the 
blinds,  and  told  him  he  should  be  compelled  to  use  harsh 
measures  if  he  attempted  to  do  so  again.  The  general  said, 
"  Do  as  you  please;"  but  when  he  arrived  at  Mazas  he  ap- 
peared much  more  calm. 

He  begged  the  commissary  not  to  seize  his  arms,  which 
were  of  value,  and  to  send  him  some  cigars,  and  Thiers' 
"  History  of  the  French  Revolution."  The  commissary  com- 
plied with  his  wishes. 

General  Leflo,  who  was  lodging  in  the  Assembly,  was  in 
bed  when  the  commissary  awoke  him  and  showed  him  his  war- 
rant. He  arose  immediately,  but  while  dressing  uttered 
fierce  threats  against  the  commissary,  and  bitter  invectives 
against  the  President  of  the  republic.  "  Napoleon  wishes  to 
make  a  coup  d'etat.  We  will  shoot  him  at  Vincennes,  and 
shoot  you  along  with  him."  When  he  was  getting  into  the 
carriage,  he  addressed  the  colonel  of  the  forty-second,  and 
wished  to  harangue  the  soldiers.  The  colonel  ordered  him 
to  be  silent,  and  the  soldiers  crossed  their  bayonets  on  him. 
Prom  the  Assembly  to  the  prison  General  Lend  did  not  utter 
a  word 


168  FOBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

General  Bedeau  took  matters  even  less  coolly.  When  the 
servant  had  half  opened  the  door,  the  commissary  pushed  it 
wide  open,  and  the  frightened  servant  running  away,  he  fol- 
lowed him  until  he  came  to  the  general's  bedside,  when  he  im- 
mediately announced  his  orders.  The  general  was  thunder- 
struck, and  protested  loudly  against  such  a  violation  of  the 
Constitution. 

"  You  are  acting  in  opposition  to  the  laws,"  said  he  to  the 
commissary.  "  You  must  not  forget  that  I  am  a  representa- 
tive of  the  people,  and  the  vice-president  of  the  Assembly; 
you  cannot  arrest  me,  since  you  cannot  assert  that  you  have 
taken  me  in  flagrante  delicto." 

The  commissary  said  he  only  did  his  duty. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?"  asked  the  general. 

"  Hubaut, "  said  the  commissary. 

"  M.  Hubaut,"  said  the  general,  "I  have  seen  honorable 
mention  made  of  your  name  in  the  papers,  and  I  am  aston- 
ished that  you  could  be  the  man  to  undertake  arresting  me. 
I  am  vice-president  of  the  Assembly  ;  I  have  already  shed  my 
blood  for  the  cause  of  order ;  and  I  can  risk  my  life  again." 

"I  cannot  comment  on  my  warrant,"  said  the  commissary  : 
"I  can  only  execute  it.  You  have  risked  your  life,  general, 
in  defence  of  the  laws ;  do  you  think  I  am  not  willing  to  risk 
mine  in  the  execution  of  my  orders  ?  You  had  better  get 
up  with  good  will ;  and  do  not  compel  me  to  use  harsh 
measures." 

The  general  arose,  but  dressed  himself  with  the  greatest 
slowness.  At  last,  when  he  was  dressed,  he  refused  to  stir. 
*'  You  must  use  force,"  said  he  to  the  commissary.  "  I  will 
not  go  unless  I  am  carried  off.  Now  I  dare  you  to  seize  the 
vice-president  of  the  National  Assembly  by  the  collar,  and 
drag  him  off." 

"Do  you  acknowledge,  sir,"  said  the  commissary,  "that  I 
have  acted  towards  you  with  all  possible  civility?"  The 
general  did  not  deny  it,  and  the  commissary,  seizing  him  by 
the  collar,  began  to  drag  him  along.     He  made  vigorous 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  169 

resistance,  however,  and  it  was  not  without  ranch  difficulty 
that  he  was  forced  into  the  carriage,  where  he  still  continued 
to  shout  "  Treason  I  to  arms  !  I  am  the  vice-president  of  the 
National  Assembly,  and  they  have  arrested  me  1"  His  cries 
attracted  the  notice  of  passers  by,  and  the  sergens  de  ville 
had  to  draw  their  swords  while  following  the  carriage,  which, 
however,  arrived  without  accident  at  Mazas. 

Colonel  Charras  at  first  refused  positively  to  open  hia 
door,  but  seeing  it  begin  to  yield,  said,  "  Stop,  I  will  admit 
you,"  and  directly  opened  it.  The  commissary  told  him  his 
business,  and  the  colonel  replied  :  "  I  knew  it;  I  fully  expected 
it ;  I  might  easily  have  made  my  escape,  but  I  would  not 
desert  my  post.  I  thought  it  would  happen  two  days  ago, 
and  under  that  conviction  I  had  loaded  my  pistol ;  but  I 
have  discharged  it;"  and  he  pointed  to  a  double-barrelled 
pistol  on  the  chest  of  drawers.  "  Had  you  come  that  day," 
he  added,  "  I  would  have  blown  your  brains  out. "  He  entered 
the  carriage  quietly,  and  was  also  conveyed  to  Mazas. 

The  arrest  of  the  civilians  did  not  present  the  same  dan- 
gers as  the  capture  of  the  military  commanders.  M.  La 
Grange  submitted  very  peaceably.  He  protested,  however, 
against  the  violation  of  the  Constitution  ;  said  he  had  only 
to  fire  a  pistol-shot  out  of  the  window  to  call  the  people  to 
arms  ;  that  if  he  chose  to  defend  himself  he  could  murder  all 
the  policemen  ;  and  that  they  should  use  force  to  carry  him 
from  his  house. 

On  his  way  to  Mazas  he  declared  several  times  :  "  It  is  a 
bold  game,  but  it  is  well  played."  In  the  prison  he  said  to 
General  Lamoriciere  :  "  Well,  general,  we  wished  to  put  the 
fellow  in,  but  he  has  put  us  in  instead." 

M.  Grippo,  the  fiery  Socialist,  had  a  complete  arsenal 
stowed  away  under  his  bed  ;  a  large  pile  of  newly-repaired 
arms,  two  daggers,  a  loaded  pistol,  and  a  magnificent  red 
cap.  The  sight  of  the  commissary,  however,  completely 
prostrated  M.  Grippo.  When  questioned  as  to  the  arms 
found  under  his  bed,  he  said  he  had  purchased  them,  as  he 
15 


1T0  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

had  a  taste  for  the  navy.  Madame  Grippo,  a  most  energetic 
woman,  asked  her  husband  in  the  strongest  terms:  "Is  it 
possible  you  have  so  little  courage  as  to  allow  yourself  to  be 
arrested  without  making  any  resistance  ?"  But  her  eloquence 
had  no  effect ;   M.  Grippo  surrendered  without  a  blow. 

M.  Roger  du  Nord  behaved  like  a  nobleman  of  the  last 
century  on  receiving  an  order  to  enter  the  Bastile.  He  wel- 
comed the  commissaries  with  the  utmost  politeness,  begged 
them  to  excuse  him  while  his  servant  was  shaving  him  and 
fixing  his  hair,  and  as  they  were  waiting,  hoped  they  would 
take  some  cake  and  wine. 

"  So  we  have  a  coup  d'etat  then,"  said  he,  pleasantly.  "I 
knew  all  about  it  two  days  ago.  People  can  have  friends 
everywhere.  Ma  foi,  I  like  it  better  than  the  stupid  part  we 
were  playing  at  the  Assembly.  Louis  Napoleon  will  succeed. 
That's  incontestable." 

M.  Baze,  the  indomitable  questor,  did  not  submit  with 
such  good  grace.  The  officers  found  him  standing  at  his 
bedroom  door,  in  his  drawers  and  a  splendid  morning  gown. 
He  assumed  an  oratorical  and  theatrical  air. 

"Commissaries,"  said  he,  "in  the  name  of  the  national 
representation,  outraged  in  my  person,  I  pronounce  you  to 
be  without  the  pale  of  the  law  1  "  He  had  no  arms,  which 
was  fortunate  ;  for  if  he  had  there  can  be  little  doubt,  from 
the  way  in  which  he  kicked,  bit,  and  scratched  the  police- 
men as  they  were  carrying  him  to  the  carriage,  that  he  would 
have  done  some  serious  injury  before  he  was  finally  locked  up 
in  Mazas. 

M.  Thiers  was  sound  asleep  when  M.  Hubaut,  senior, 
entered  his  bedroom.  The  commissary  quietly  drew  back 
the  crimson  damask  curtains,  and  explained  the  object  of  his 
visit.  M.  Thiers  sprang  bolt  upright,  put  his  hands  to  his 
eyes,  and  lifting  up  his  white  cotton  nightcap,  asked :  "What 
is  all  this?" 

"  I  am  come  to  search  your  house  ;  but  do  not  be  alarmed ; 
no  harm  will  be  done  you,  monsieur ;  there  is  no  fear  for 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  HI 

your  life."     The  last  assurance  was  needed,  for  M.  Thiers 
seemed  much  alarmed. 

A  search  having  been  made  in  M.  Thiers'  cabinet  without 
bringing  forward  any  political  correspondence,  the  commis- 
sary expressed  surprise.  M.  Thiers  replied  that  for  some 
time  past,  he  had  always  addressed  his  political  correspondence 
to  England,  and  that  none  would  be  found  in  his  house.  He 
exhibited  much  hesitation  and  alarm  when  asked  to  descend 
to  the  carriage.  His  fears  were  not  diminished  when 
he  saw  the  road  the  carriage  took.  Still  he  continued  to 
talk  ;  at  first  he  used  the  most  persuasive  or  the  most  threat- 
ening arguments  to  induce  his  captors  to  release  him  ;  then 
finding  such  efforts  useless,  he  delivered  himself  of  a  very  elo- 
quent effusion  upon  the  gravity  of  his  present  situation.  Ar- 
riving at  the  prison  he  asked  if  he  might  have  his  cafe  au  lait 
very  hot,  and  some  books.  He  was  overwhelmed  with  atten- 
tions, but  his  courage  quite  forsook  him,  and  he  began  to 
weep.  When  some  of  his  companions  were  removed  to  Ham, 
he  was  excused  from  accompanying  them ;  and  finally,  as  con- 
finement aggravated  a  disease  which  afflicted  him  in  the 
throat,  he  was  sent  off  to  Germany. 


172  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Progress  of  Louis  Napoleon's  Ambition  —  The  Empire  —  Popular  Acts 
of  Government  —  The  New  Constitution — The  Prevalence  of  Alarms 

—  Growth  of  Socialism  —  The  President's  Journey  through  the  Pro- 
vinces—  The  Infernal  Machine  at  Marseilles — Decree  against  the 
Property  of  the  Orleans  Family  —  Excuses  for  that  Decree — The 
Restoration  of  the  Empire  —  Return  of  the  Votes  —  Reign  of  Terror 

—  Proposals  for  the  Marriage  of  the  Emperor  —  Their  Refusal  — 
The  Parisian  Belle  —  Qualities  of  the  Countess  de  Teba — She  is 
selected  by  Louis  Napoleon  as  his  Empress  —  His  Address  to  the 
Senate — The  Imperial  Nuptials  —  Imposing  Ceremonies  on  the  oc- 
casion—  National  Rejoicings  and  Congratulations  —  The  Emperor's 
Address  to  the  Senate  —  Prospects  of  the  Empire. 

After  the  attainment  of  the  Presidency  for  Ten  Years,  the 
next  thing,  and  the  last,  was  the  proclamation  of  the  Empire. 
One  year  after  the  coup  d'etat,  and  on  the  day  of  its  first 
anniversary,  the  Empire  was  announced.  The  intrigues  and 
labors  of  a  year  were  necessary  to  accomplish  this  result.  We 
will  now  proceed  to  narrate  the  events  and  the  machinations 
which  brought  about  that  great  consummation. 

The  first  measure  to  be  taken  was  to  win  the  confidence, 
and  to  allay  the  fears,  of  the  nation,  by  judicious  and  popular 
acts  of  government.  Louis  Napoleon,  having  thrown  great 
censure  on  the  conduct  of  the  Assembly,  in  impeding  the  mea- 
sures of  the  administration,  now  wished  to  show  how  much 
better  he  could  flourish  without  it.  Letters  of  credit  were 
given  to  the  Minister  of  Finance  for  the  department  of  Publie 
Works ;  and  large  sums  were  appropriated  to  internal  im- 
provements. Two  millions  and  a  half  of  francs  were  allowed 
for  improving  the  navigation  of  the  Seine  ;  a  million  and  a 
half  for  the  same  purpose  on  the  Rhone ;  half  a  million  for 
the  improvement  of  the  harbor  of  Boulogne  ;  half  a  million 


OF     NAPOLEON     III.  113 

for  the  works  of  defence  on  the  Point  de  Grace;  and  other 
appropriations  of  the  same  nature  were  made. 

The  sanitary,  social,  and  domestic  condition  of  the  numerous 
working  classes  of  the  capital  and  of  the  nation  engaged  the 
special  attention  of  the  President.  A  large  amount  of  pro- 
perty taken  from  the  estates  of  the  Orleans  family,  which  were 
alienated  to  the  state,  was  so  invested  as  to  ameliorate  their 
condition.  Many  improvements  were  commenced,  through- 
out France,  intended  to  benefit  the  working  classes,  and  to 
promote  their  health  and  comfort ;  and  as  the  completion  of 
all  these-  works  depended  on  the  continuance  of  the  power  of 
the  President,  their  progress  operated  strongly  in  favor  of  the 
consolidation  of  his  supremacy,  in  the  wishes  and  the  hopes 
of  the  laboring  orders  throughout  France. 

A  new  Constitution  had  been  promised  the  French  people  ; 
and  on  the  16th  of  January,  1852,  its  cardinal  features  were 
publicly  announced.  The  leading  doctrine  of  this  document 
is  the  direct  responsibility  of  the  Chief  of  the  government  to 
the  people  of  France.  In  other  words,  it  invested  all  power 
in  the  hands  of  the  President,  making  him  in  effect  an  abso- 
lute sovereign.  But,  as  yet,  the  nation  were  imposed  upon 
and  deluded  by  high-sounding  phrases ;  by  the  assertion  of 
popular  freedom  ;  by  promises,  engagements  and  obligations 
on  the  part  of  the  President,  which  served  to  keep  up  the 
delusion  that  there  was  no  diminution  of  liberty,  no  increase 
of  despotic  power  in  France.  The  spirit  and  principle  of 
"  Centralization"  was  the  specious  phrase  under  which  all 
the  actual  and  the  prospective  assumptions  of  power  were 
disguised  and  palliated.  In  this  Constitution,  speaking  of 
the  President,  and  his  authority,  its  author  says: 

"Being  responsible,  his  actions  must  be  free,  and  without 
hindrance.  Hence  arises  the  obligation  of  his  having  minis- 
ters who  may  be  the  honored  and  powerful  auxiliaries  of  his 
thoughts,  but  who  no  longer  form  a  responsible  council  com- 
posed of  jointly  responsible  members,  a  daily  obstacle  to  the 
special  influence  of  the  chief  of  the  State — a  council,  the  ex- 
15* 


174  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

pression  of  a  policy  emanating  from  the  Chambers,  and  for 
that  very  reason  exposed  to  frequent  changes,  which  render 
impossible  a  continuous  policy,  or  the  application  of  a 
regular  system. 

"  The  present  Constitution  has  only  settled  that  which  it 
was  impossible  to  leave  uncertain.  It  has  not  shut  up  within 
insurmountable  barriers  the  destinies  of  a  great  people.  For 
change  it  has  left  a  margin  sufficiently  large  to  allow,  in  great 
crises,  other  means  of  safety  than  the  calamitous  expedient 
of  revolution. 

"  The  Senate  can,  in  concert  with  the  Government,  modify 
all  that  is  not  fundamental  in  the  Constitution  ;  but  as  to  any 
modifications  of  the  fundamental  bases  sanctioned  by  your 
suffrages,  they  can  only  become  definitive  after  having  received 
your  ratification. 

"  Thus  the  people  remain  master  of  their  destiny.  Nothing 
fundamental  is  effected  without  their  will. 

"  Such  are  the  ideas,  such  the  principles,  which  you  have 
authorized  me  to  apply.  May  this  Constitution  give  to  our 
country  calm  and  prosperous  days  1 — may  it  prevent  the  return 
of  those  intestine  struggles  in  which  victory,  however  legiti- 
mate, is  always  dearly  bought !  May  the  sanction  which 
you  have  given  to  my  efforts  be  blessed  by  Heaven  !  Then 
peace  will  be  assured  at  home  and  abroad — my  ardent  hopes 
will  be  fulfilled  —  my  mission  will  be  accomplished." 

It  must  be  admitted  that  uothing  could  be  better  adapted 
than  such  specious  declarations,  to  "  pull  the  wool"  over  the 
eyes  of  la  grand  nation  ! 

But  Louis  Napoleon  had  a  much  deeper  game  to  play  than 
the  utterance  of  superficial  and  plausible  phrases.  He  set 
his  myriads  of  agents  to  work  throughout  France,  to  excite 
alarms  and  spread  terror  among  all  classes,  in  reference  to 
the  secret  and  dangerous  growth  of  the  Socialists,  who  were 
represented  as  political  monsters  with  a  thousand  hideous 
heads,  whose  aim  it  was  to  overturn  all  law,  security,  order, 
and  property.     These  agents  declared  iucessantly  that  there 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  175 

was  but  one  of  two  things  inevitable ;  either  the  return  of 
ruin  and  chaos,  or  the  consolidation  of  all  power  in  the 
vigorous  hands  of  the  President,  and  the  re-establishment  of 
the  Empire.  The  most  efficient  aids  and  emissaries  of  Louis 
Napoleon  were  the  priests.  He  had  secretly  made  his  bar- 
gain with  the  hierarchy.  The  church  and  her  powers  were 
to  be  re-instated  in  their  ancient  glory,  with  the  re-establish- 
ment of  the  Empire  ;  and  in  consequence,  the  priesthood  all 
over  France  worked  day  and  night  in  behalf  of  their  patron. 
In  the  confessional  especially,  they  were  indefatigable ;  and 
nothing  was  heard  of  scarcely  but  the  horrid  growth  of  in- 
fidelity and  socialism,  and  the  advantage  of  the  Empire; 
which,  by  the  establishment  of  order  and  supreme  power  in 
the  hands  of  Louis  Napoleon,  would  secure  to  all  good 
Catholics  the  triumph  of  religion  and  virtue.  The  dark  and 
nefarious  powers  of  superstition  were  enlisted  to  their  utmost 
extent  in  his  behalf. 

When  Louis  Napoleon  supposed  that  the  public  mind  had 
been  properly  prepared  by  his  agents,  to  make  demonstra- 
tions of  a  popular  character  in  his  favor,  he  undertook  a 
journey  through  some  of  the  provinces.  The  prefects, 
majors,  military  commanders,  and  all  other  persons  possess- 
ing authority  had  received  their  instructions  long  before. 
Every  possible  expedient  was  employed  to  excite  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  multitude  in  favor  of  the  President.  In  some 
places  these  precautions  were  unnecessary,  for  there  he  and 
his  government  were  popular.  Elsewhere,  however,  they 
were  indispensable  to  the  proper  exhibition  of  the  adulation 
and  enthusiasm  of  the  populace. 

Accordingly,  wherever  the  President  appeared  on  this 
journey,  he  was  greeted  with  universal  shouts  of  Vive  VEm- 
pereur!  At  Bourges,  Nevers,  Moulins,  Grenoble,  and  many 
other  places,  his  reception  was  most  enthusiastic.  But  when 
he  arrived  at  Marseilles,  he  came  very  near  making  an  abrupt 
termination  both  of  his  journey  and  his  life.  As  the  candi- 
date for  the  imperial  throne  proceeded   through  the  chief 


1?6  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

streets  of  this  city,  they  were  strewed  with  flowers.  Multi- 
tudes of  people  crowded  the  thoroughfares ;  but  it  was  ob- 
served that  they  were  anxious  and  uneasy  in  their  appearance, 
and  did  not  seem  to  look  at  the  pageant  so  much  as  at  the 
surrounding  houses ;  at  vacancy,  in  fact  everywhere,  but 
never  at  any  specific  object.  Nosegays  in  the  greatest  pro- 
fusion were  showered  upon  the  carriage  which  conveyed  the 
President  and  St.  Arnaud,  the  Minister  of  War.  Suddenly 
in  their  pathway  a  large  pile  of  roses  was  observed  to  ob- 
struct their  progress.  An  officer  commenced  to  remove  it, 
when  beneath  its  fragrant  and  odorous  masses  an  infernal 
machine  was  found  concealed,  which  in  a  few  moments  would 
have  exploded,  and  blown  everybody  within  reach  to  atoms. 
This  incident  considerably  disturbed  the  serenity  of  the 
President.  He  immediately  returned  to  Paris,  overwhelmed 
with  disagreeable  reflections.  He  was  at  a  loss  to  which 
party  to  attribute  this  conspiracy  against  his  life  —  whether 
to  the  Legitimists,  the  Orleanists,  or  the  Socialists.  Yet  it 
did  not  for  a  moment  deter  him  from  the  execution  of  his 
aims  in  regard  to  the  Empire.  His  next  step  was  to  nego- 
tiate with  the  several  courts  of  Europe  in  reference  to  the 
restoration  of  the  imperial  regime.  Meanwhile,  innumerable 
memorials  and  appeals  were  sent  to  the  President  from  all 
parts  of  France,  beseeching  him  to  establish  order,  and  to 
crush  the  anarchical  tendencies  and  disorganizing  aims  of  all 
disaffected  traitors  to  the  welfare  and  glory  of  France,  by  the 
assumption  of  the  imperial  authority.  If  any  memorials  of  a 
contrary  nature  were  sent  to  the  President,  their  reception 
was  not  proclaimed  to  the  public  in  the  columns  of  the  Moni- 
teur  !  At  length  the  Senate,  completely  bought  over  by  the 
agents  and  the  money  of  Louis  Napoleon,  addressed  him  a 
memorial,  representing  the  necessity  of  complying  with  the 
desire  so  universally  and  energetically  expressed  by  the  whole 
nation.  In  his  reply  to  them,  he  asserted  that  the  French 
people  had  clearly  announced  to  him  their  desire  for  the 
restoration  of  the  Empire ;  and  he  informed  them  that,  after 
great  deliberation,  and  many  anxious  hours  of  apprehension, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  177 

in  consequence  of  the  immense  responsibilities  involved  in  the 
assumption  of  the  imperial  authority,  he  had  concluded  to 
sacrifice  himself  to  the  welfare  of  the  nation,  to  comply  with 
their  wishes,  and  to  restore  the  Empire. 

One  more  precaution  yet  remained  to  be  taken,  to  secure 
the  triumphant  and  unanimous  declaration  of  the  French  peo- 
ple in  favor  of  the  Empire,  at  the  ballot-box.  The  last 
struggle  was  about  to  be  made;  and  it  was  not  to  be  expected 
the  hostile  factions  would  yield  without  a  conflict.  The  Or- 
leans dynasty,  of  which  the  now  defunct  Louis  Philippe  had 
been  the  head,  still  possessed  an  immense  amount  of  property 
in  France,  estimated  at  three  hundred  millions  of  francs.  On 
the  22d  of  January,  1852,  a  decree  was  issued  by  the 
President,  compelling  them  to  sell  this  property  within  a 
year.  As  long  as  the  Orleans  family  retained  this  vast 
wealth  iu  France,  it  necessarily  gave  them  a  large  degree  of 
influence.  This  compulsory  sale  of  their  property  was  justi- 
fied, both  by  the  necessities  of  the  case,  and  by  the  example 
of  former  rulers  of  France.  Louis  XVIII.  had  previously 
compelled  the  Bonapartes  to  do  the  same  thing.  Louis  Phi- 
lippe had  ordered  the  old  moth-eaten  Bourbon  dynasty  to 
dispose  of  their  wealth  in  France  in  the  same  manner.  And 
the  time  allowed  by  Louis  Napoleon  to  the  Orleans  family 
within  which  to  execute  the  decree,  was  much  longer  than  that 
specified  and  permitted  in  the  other  instances.1     In  addition 

1  Another  cause  assigned  for  this  rigorous  treatment  of  the  Orleans 
family  was  the  fact,  that,  on  the  arrest  of  Louis  Napoleon  after  the 
affair  of  Boulogne,  a  million  dollars  were  said  to  have  been  taken  from 
his  person,  and  transmitted  to  the  government  of  Louis  Philippe ;  that 
this  treasure  constituted  all  the  resources  of  his  partisans  both  in 
France  and  out  of  it ;  and  that  it  was  never  returned  to  the  Prince  at 
any  subsequent  period  of  his  career.  The  fair  inference  therefore  was, 
that  it  had  been  fraudulently  appropriated  to  their  own  use  by  the  king 
and  his  rapacious  family.  It  is  impossible  now  to  ascertain  the  truth 
or  the  falsehood  of  this  statement:  it  rests  solely  on  the  authority  of 
Louis  Napoleon  ;  though  a  reasonable  doubt  may  readily  exist  as  to  the 
possibility  of  his  friends  and  himself  accumulating  so  vast  a  sum. 

M 


178  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

to  this,  the  decree  restored  the  state  a  large  amount  of  pro- 
perty which  the  "money-bag  king"  had  filched  from  the 
national  revenues,  and  were  thenceforth  to  be  appropriated 
to  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  working  classes. 
A  large  portion  of  this  property  in  fact  belonged  to  the  na- 
tion, by  the  operation  of  an  old  law  which  provided,  that  the 
possessions  of  any  prince,  on  his  accession  to  the  throne,  be- 
came vested  immediately  in  the  nation.  Louis  Philippe  was 
called  to  the  throne,  and  he  accepted  it,  on  the  7th  of  August, 
1830  ;  yet  afterward  on  the  8th  of  that  month,  he  made  do- 
nations of  an  immense  amount  of  property  to  his  younger 
children,  to  the  exclusion  of  his  eldest  son  and  heir.  The 
purpose  of  this  swindle  was  to  prevent  this  wealth  from 
vesting  in  the  nation  ;  and  also  to  compel  the  nation  to  pro- 
vide separately  for  the  maintenance  of  his  heir,  when  he 
had  succeeded  to  the  throne.  All  these  devises  vere  illegal 
and  invalid. 

At  length,  when  all  the  preparatory  steps  had  been 
taken,  when  the  whole  nation  were  convinced  either  of  the 
benefits  of  the  reinstated  Empire,  or  of  the  uselessness  of 
resisting  its  advent,  a  decree  was  issued  commanding  the 
people  to  declare  their  sentiments  on  the  subject  at  the  ballot- 
box.  The  same  methods  of  constraint  which  had  overawed 
and  controlled  the  election  of  the  President  for  ten  years,  now 
governed  that  in  reference  to  the  Empire ;  and  the  result,  as 
might  be  expected,  was  the  same.  The  Empire  was  restored 
in  the  person  of  Louis  Napoleon  ;  and  thus,  at  last,  after 
many  long  years  of  exile,  labor,  suffering,  and  intrigue,  the 
ambitious  son  of  Hortense  mounted  the  very  same  exalted 
eminence  which  had  once  been  occupied  and  adorned  by  the 
mighty  Corsican  ! 

On  Thursday,  the  25th  November,  the  Chief  of  the  State 
communicated  with  the  members  of  the  legislative  body, 
convened  from  their  several  departments  to  hear  the  official 
declaration  of  the  result  of  the  elections,  and  to  take  part  in 
the  inauguration  of  the  Empire.     Said  he  ; 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  179 

"I  have  recalled  you  from  your  departments,  that  you 
may  be  associated  with  the  great  act  which  is  about  to  be 
accomplished.  Although  the  Senate  and  the  people  alone 
had  the  right  to  modify  the  Constitution,  I  have  wished  that 
a  political  body  which  has  issued,  like  myself,  from  universal 
suffrage,  should  come  to  attest  to  the  world  the  spontaneous- 
ness  of  the  national  movement  which  bears  me  to  the  Empire. 
I  desire  expressly  that  it  should  be  you  who,  in  certifying  the 
liberty  of  the  vote  and  the  numerical  amount  of  the  suffrage, 
should  prove  by  your  declarations  the  complete  lawfulness  of 
my  power.  To  declare,  in  fact,  to-day,  that  authority  rests 
on  incontestable  right,  is  to  give  it  the  necessary  force  for 
founding  something  durable,  and  to  insure  the  prosperity  of 
the  country.  The  Government,  as  you  know,  will  only 
change  its  form.  Devoted  to  the  great  interests  which  intel- 
ligence brings  forth  and  which  peace  develops,  it  will  restrain 
itself,  as  it  has  hitherto  done,  within  the  limits  of  moderation  ; 
for  success  never  swells  with  pride  the  hearts  of  those  who 
see  in  their  elevation  a  greater  duty  imposed  by  the  people, 
and  a  more  elevated  mission  confided  by  Providence." 

The  return  of  the  votes  on  the  question  of  restoring  the 
Empire,  was  as  follows :  The  affirmative  votes  numbered 
7,864,180  ;  the  negative  were  253,145;  the  null  and  irregular 
were  63,326.  Thus  it  appeared  that  through  a  singular  com- 
bination of  influences,  both  legitimate  and  illegitimate,  the 
voice  of  the  nation,  with  great  unanimity,  placed  the  imperial 
diadem  on  the  head  of  Louis  Napoleon. 

Two  things  were  necessary  to  consolidate  the  power  of  the 
new  Emperor.  One  was  to  crush  and  exterminate  his  chief 
enemies,  who  still  lurked  in  France  ;  the  other  was  the  per- 
petuation of  his  family  by  a  matrimonial  connection.  In  the 
execution  of  the  first  of  these  a  system  of  terror  was  inau- 
gurated. Private  houses  were  entered  and  searched.  The 
persons,  and  the  papers  of  all  suspected  persons,  were  taken  ; 
the  former  were  conveyed  to  prison,  the  latter  were  sealed  up 
and  afterward  examined,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  testimony. 


180  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

By  this  means  hundreds  who  had  been  the  active  opponents 
of  the  imperial  aspirant  throughout  France,  were  soon  placed 
beyond  the  reach  of  doing  harm,  by  being  banished  to  the 
wilds  of  Algiers  or  Cayenne. 

As  to  the  marriage  of  the  Emperor,  proposals  were  made 
by  his  ambassadors  to  several  courts  of  Europe  for  the  pur- 
pose of  negotiating  a  match.  One  of  these  was  the  court 
of  Sweden  ;  but  for  reasons  which  are  not  clearly  understood, 
the  imperial  bridegroom  was  refused  on  every  hand  ;  and 
Louis  Napoleon  had  the  mortification  to  see  the  fairest 
daughters  of  royalty  in  Europe  decline  his  proffered  alliance. 
Here  was  a  dilemma  which  was  both  dangerous  and  dis- 
agreeable. 

During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1852,  the  gay  and  elegant 
society  of  Paris  was  enlivened  by  the  presence  of  a  young 
lady  belonging  to  one  of  the  noblest  families  of  Spain.  She 
was  graceful,  accomplished,  beautiful,  and  exhibited  many 
qualities  of  mind  and  person  which  were  both  brilliant  and 
attractive.  She  was  rather  bold  and  independent  in  her  habits 
and  costume  ;  but  these  eccentricities  were  of  such  a  character 
as  always  to  heighten  her  charms  and  render  her  more  irre- 
sistibly fascinating.  She  was  a  very  admirable  horsewoman  ; 
and  when  the  fair  Countess  de  Teba  rode  along  the  Boule- 
vards, all  Paris  gaped  agog  with  admiration  and  wonder. 
She  soon  became  the  most  celebrated  belle  of  the  capital. 
At  the  imperial  receptions,  the  gilded  saloons  of  the  Tuilleries 
contained  no  face  or  form  so  bewitching,  so  lovely,  and  so 
pleasing  as  that  of  the  young  Spanish  countess.  The  vulture 
eyes  of  the  former  lover  of  Madame  Gordon  and  Mrs.  How- 
ard soon  fastened  on  her.  It  was  indeed  shrewdly  asserted 
at  the  time,  that  she  was  there  for  the  express  purpose  of 
being  thus  fastened  on  !  It  did  not  require  a  very  long  period 
for  Louis  Napoleon  to  perceive  that  here  was  a  god-send  for 
the  elect  of  the  whole  people,  but  the  rejected  of  three  prin- 
cesses. Here  was  a  lady  of  noble  birth,  of  great  wealth,  of 
ancient  descent  though  not  born  in  the  purple,  encumbered 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  181 

by  no  royal  alliances,  with  no  poor  relations  to  provide  for, 
and  withal  beautiful  and  charming  in  the  extreme.  His 
attentions  to  her  gradually  became  marked  and  suggestive. 
He  found  her,  upon  a  more  intimate  acquaintance,  to  be 
highly  intelligent,  amiable,  and  more  than  all,  an  admirer  of 
his  own  person,  talents,  and  fame.  She  seems  to  have  made 
some  impression  on  his  affections,  for  soon  he  offered  to  share 
with  her  his  throne.  Thus  solicited  the  young  Countess  de 
Teba  stood  on  no  ceremony,  and  accepted  the  somewhat 
mature  and  faded,  but  yet  imperial  bridegroom.  The  an- 
nouncement of  the  coming  nuptials  was  publicly  made  to  the 
Senate  on  the  22d  of  January,  1853.  In  this  communication 
the  Emperor  thus  expressed  himself : 

"  She  who  has  been  the  object  of  my  preference  is  of 
princely  descent.  French  in  heart,  by  education,  and  the 
recollection  of  the  blood  shed  by  her  father  in  the  cause  of 
the  Empire,  she  has,  as  a  Spaniard,  the  advantage  of  not 
having  in  France  a  family  to  whom  it  might  be  necessary  to 
give  honors  and  fortune.  Endowed  with  all  the  qualities  of 
the  mind,  she  will  be  the  ornament  of  the  throne.  In  the 
day  of  danger  she  would  be  one  of  its  courageous  supporters. 
A  Catholic,  she  will  address  to  Heaven  the  same  prayers 
with  me  for  the  happiness  of  France.  In  fine,  by  her  grace 
and  her  goodness,  she  will,  I  firmly  hope,  endeavor  to  revive 
in  the  same  position  the  virtues  of  the  Empress  Josephine. 

"  I  come  then,  gentlemen,  to  announce  that  I  have  pre- 
ferred the  woman  whom  I  love  and  whom  I  respect,  to  one 
who  is  unknown,  and  whose  alliance  would  have  had  advan- 
tages mingled  with  sacrifices.  Without  despising  any  one,  I 
yet  yield  to  my  inclinations,  after  having  taking  counsel  with 
my  reason  and  my  convictions.  In  fine,  by  placing  inde- 
pendence, the  qualities  of  the  heart,  domestic  happiness, 
above  dynastic  prejudices  and  the  calculations  of  ambition, 
I  shall  not  be  less  strong  because  I  shall  be  more  free. 

"Proceeding  immediately  to  Notre  Dame,  I  shall  present 
the  Empress  to  the  people  and  to  the  army.     The  confidence 
16 


182  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORI 

which  they  have  in  me  assures  me  of  their  sympathy ;  and 
you,  gentlemen,  on  better  knowing  her  whom  I  have  chosen, 
will  agree  that  on  this  occasion,  as  on  some  others,  I  have 
been  inspired  by  Providence." 

This  match  was  professedly  one  of  affection  and  not  of 
state  policy ;  yet  the  assertion  to  that  effect  in  this  address 
would  have  had  more  influence  could  people  have  forgotten, 
that  overtures  had  been  previously  made  to  several  royal 
families,  and  that  they  had  been  peremptorily  rejected. 

Accordingly,  the  civil  marriage  of  Louis  Napoleon  with 
Mdlle.  de  Montigo,  the  Countess  de  Teba,  was  celebrated  at 
the  Tuilleries  on  the  29th  of  January ;  and  the  religious 
ceremonies  took  place  the  next  day,  which  was  Sunday,  with 
great  splendor  and  magnificence  at  the  Cathedral  of  Notre 
Dame.  The  Archbishop  of  Paris  officiated  on  this  interest- 
ing occasion.  The  venerable  and  capacious  edifice  was 
crowded  with  the  most  brilliant  and  elegant  assemblage  ever 
convened  in  France,  or  perhaps  in  the  world.  All  the  pomp 
of  the  Catholic  service,  all  the  opulence  of  the  capital,  all 
the  beauty  and  brilliancy  of  the  court,  all  the  grim  majesty 
of  the  military,  whatever  was  illustrious  in  science  and  art, 
every  resource  of  celebrity,  fascination,  and  lavish  luxury, 
were  exhausted  on  the  incidents  and  the  displays  of  this  feli- 
citous day.  The  imperial  couple  sat  on  two  thrones  erected 
in  front  of  the  high  altar.  Sublime  and  heavenly  melody  re- 
sounded beneath  the  lofty  arches  of  the  ancient  pile.  A  nu- 
merous and  gorgeous  array  of  priests  assisted.  The  great 
representatives  of  the  army,  of  the  senate,  of  the  municipal 
authorities,  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  delegations  from  the 
great  cities  of  France,  and  the  most  brilliant  and  beautiful 
female  leaders  of  fashion  in  the  capital, — all  were  there. 
The  agitation  of  the  young  Empress,  the  focus  of  so  many 
inquisitive  eyes  during  the  ceremony,  was  extreme.  It  was 
necessary  for  the  Emperor  to  soothe  and  allay  her  emotions. 
All  passed  off  happily  and  favorably ;  and  everybody,  except 
the  fierce  and  implacable  leaders  of  the  dark  and  desperate 


E^][p[FB[£^:  :UG1PJI 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  183 

factions,    rejoiced    at   the    consummation    of    the    imperial 
nuptials. 

The  Emperor  signalized  his  marriage  by  an  amnesty,  which 
restored  to  liberty  and  France  nearly  five  thousand  persons 
who  were  suffering  banishment  or  imprisonment  for  political 
offences.  The  list  embraced  several  women,  and  one  child 
fourteen  years  of  age.  But  it  did  not  include  any  of  the 
more  dangerous  and  distinguished  enemies  of  the  Emperor. 
All  the  banished  generals,  and  all  the  men  of  importance 
who  were  expelled  after  the  events  of  December,  1851,  still 
remained  under  the  ban  of  exile.  It  was  estimated  that  a 
thousand  political  offenders,  including  all  those  who  were 
really  dangerous,  were  still  unpardoned.  Their  number  was 
considerably  augmented  by  the  sweeping  arrest  on  the  night 
of  the  5th  of  February  of  thirty  or  forty  gentlemen,  who 
were  suspected  by  the  government  of  being  the  secret  Paris 
correspondents  of  Belgian,  Swiss,  German,  and  Italian  jour- 
nals,  and  of  having  put  in  circulation  rumors  unfavorable  to 
the  character  of  the  new  Empress.  This  arbitrary  arrest, 
effected  in  the  night,  and  without  due  process  of  law,  or  the 
slightest  proof  of  offence,  created  a  good  deal  of  dissatisfac- 
tion and  temporarily  affected  the  funds.  The  Legislative 
Assembly  met  on  the  Hth  of  February,  and  with  the  other 
bodies  was  addressed  by  the  Emperor  in  a  brief  but  em- 
phatic speech.  He  said  that  order  had  not  been  disturbed 
within  the  year;  the  law,  in  resuming  its  empire,  had  allowed 
the  return  to  their  homes  of  a  majority  of  the  men  who  were 
made  the  subjects  of  necessary  rigors  ;  the  riches  of  the  nation 
had  increased;  the  activity  of  labor  had  developed  itself  in 
every  branch  of  industry  ;  the  form  of  government  had  been 
changed  without  any  shock;  great  works  have  been  under- 
taken without  any  new  tax  or  loan  ;  peace  had  been  main- 
tained without  weakness  ;  all  the  powers  have  recognized  the 
new  government  ;  and  France  then  had  institutions  which 
could  defend  themselves,  and  the  stability  of  which  did  not 
depend  upon  the  life  of  a  man.      "  These  results,"  says  the 


184  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Emperor,  "  have  not  cost  great  efforts,  because  they  were  in 
the  minds  and  for  the  interests  of  all.  To  those  who  would 
doubt  their  importance,  I  will  reply,  that  scarcely  fourteen 
months  ago  France  was  delivered  up  to  the  hazards  of  an- 
archy. To  those  who  may  regret  that  a  wider  field  has  not 
been  given  to  liberty,  I  will  reply,  that  liberty  has  never 
aided  in  founding  a  durable  political  edifice ;  it  crowns  it 
when  it  has  been  consolidated  by  time.  Let  us,  besides, 
not  forget  that  the  immense  majority  of  the  country  has 
confidence  in  the  present  and  faith  in  the  future;  there 
still  remain  incorrigible  individuals,  who,  forgetful  of  their 
own  experience,  of  their  past  errors,  and  of  their  disappoint- 
ments, obstinately  persist  in  paying  no  attention  to  the  na- 
tional will,  deny  the  reality  of  facts,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  sea 
which  every  day  lowers  more  and  more,  call  for  tempests  in 
which  they  would  be  the  first  to  be  swallowed  up.  These 
occult  proceedings  of  the  different  parties  serve  no  purpose 
but  to  show  their  weakness,  and  the  government,  instead  of 
oeing  disturbed  at  them,  only  think  of  governing  France  and 
tranquilizing  Europe." 

The  Emperor  further  assured  the  legislature  that  all  the 
resources  of  the  country  should  be  devoted  to  useful  purposes ; 
and  that  every  possible  means  should  be  employed,  to  render 
France  still  more  prosperous,  secure,  and  happy,  than  she 
had  ever  been.  One  significant  proof  of  the  probability  and 
the  truth  of  this  declaration  was  the  fact  that  the  standing 
army,  which  in  Louis  Philippe's  reign  had  numbered  eighty 
thousand  men,  had  been,  during  the  preceding  year,  reduced 
to  thirty  thousand,  and  was  then  about  to  be  diminished  to 
twenty  thousand. 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  185 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Oiigin  of  the  War  in  the  Crimea  —  Insulting  Letter  of  Nicholas  I.  to 
the  French  Emperor  —  Early  History  of  the  Crimea  —  The  Empress 
Catherine  II. —  She  subjugates  the  Crimea  —  Origin  of  Sevastopol  — 
Nicholas  I.  resolves  on  the  Conquest  of  Turkey  —  The  Holy  Places  in 
Palestine  —  Communications  between  Nicholas  and  the  British  Govern- 
ment—  The  War  —  The  Peace — The  Treaty  of  Paris  —  Provisions 
of  the  Treaty  —  Louis  Napoleon  the  real  Hero  of  the  War  —  The 
English  Press  and  its  Adulation  of  him  —  A  Contrast  —  Visit  of  Louis 
Napoleon  to  Queen  Victoria  —  Extract  from  the  London  Times  — 
Addresses  by  Corporations  —  Attempt  to  Assassinate  Louis  Napoleon 
in  Paris  —  Visit  of  Queen  Victoria  to  Louis  Napoleon  —  The  Exhibi- 
tion of  the  World's  Industry  —  The  French  Press  on  the  English  Al- 
liance—  Birth  of  the  Prince  of  Algeria  —  Frantic  Joy  of  the  Nation 
—  Addresses  of  Congratulation  —  The  Emperor's  Answer  to  the 
Senate  —  His  Pious  Reply  to  the  Corps  Legislatif —  Abdel-Kader  — 
Barbes. 

Scarcely  had  the  general  joy  and  congratulation  which 
attended  the  imperial  nuptials  subsided,  when  the  political 
horizon  of  Europe  became  darkened  with  the  gloomy  and 
lowering  portends  of  war.  The  memorable  struggle  in  the 
East  for  the  supremacy  of  the  Crimea  and  Constantinople  was 
about  to  take  place.  When  Louis  Napoleon  was  elevated 
to  the  imperial  throne,  he  dispatched  to  the  Emperor  Nicho- 
las, in  common  with  the  rest  of  the  sovereigns  of  Europe,  a 
messenger  informing  him  of  his  new  dignity.  Nicholas  re- 
turned, after  some  time,  an  answer  so  cold,  so  ambiguous, 
and  so  destitute  of  all  courtesy  —  even  of  that  hollow  and 
worthless  courtesy  which  usually  characterizes  the  intercourse 
of  sovereigns  not  actually  engaged  in  war,  —  that  Louis  Na- 
poleon could  not  fail  to  receive  it  as  a  direct  insult.  He  de- 
termined to  be  revenged  ;  but,  true  to  his  nature,  he  proceeded 
slowly  and  adroitly  in  the  execution  of  his  purpose.  The 
16* 


186  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

result  of  his  machinations  was  the  hastening  on  of  the  war  in 
the  East,  and  the  ultimate  results  which  followed  :  — the  send- 
ing of  a  powerful  French  armament  to  the  Crimea;  the 
memorable  battles  of  the  Alma,  Balaklava,  Inkermann,  and 
Sevastopol ;  the  uniform  victories  of  the  allied  armies ;  the 
baffling  of  the  ambitious  aims  of  the  proud  Czar  ;  his  deep 
mortification  and  disappointment ;  and  even  his  premature 
death,  which  was  undoubtedly  produced  by  the  disasters  which 
befell  his  arms  in  the  conflicts  of  the  Crimea.  By  all  these 
Louis  Napoleon  was  in  the  end  amply  avenged  ! 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance,  that  in  this  nineteenth 
century  the  mighty  tide  of  human  events  has  been  rushing 
back  again,  from  the  gold-burdened  climes  of  the  West,  to 
those  venerable  scenes  and  landmarks  in  the  East  which  were 
renowned  in  ancient  history  and  mythology  ;  but  which,  during 
some  ages  past,  had  escaped  the  scrutiny  and  lost  the  interest 
of  mankind.1 

Many  cycles  have  revolved  since  the  quiet  shores  of  the 
Euxine  became  the  scene  of  war's  tumultuous  agitation. 
The  triumphant  legions  of  Alexander  the  Great,  of  Mithri- 
dates,  and  of  Pompey,  there  successively  discovered  a  con- 
genial resting-place  in  their  wearied  careers  of  conquest. 
Afterward,  the  ferocious  cohorts  of  Genghis  Khan  and  Tamer- 
lane, having  devastated  immense  tracts  of  Asia,  and  spread 
desolation  over  half  a  continent,  found  themselves  beneath 
the  cool  shades  of  the  wooded  vales  of  the  Crimea ;  and  there 
they  also  ceased  their  march  of  triumph. 

In  this  same  region,  anciently  termed  the  Tauric  Cherso- 
nesus,  Iphigenia,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  Agamemnon, 
having  fled  in  terror  to  escape  the  execution  of  a  cruel  vow, 
became  the  high-priestess  of  her  chaste  protectress,  Diana ; 
erected  a  splendid  temple  to  her  solemn  worship  ;  and  conse- 
crated the  laud  forever  to  the  sublime  religion  and  philosophy 

1  Several  pages  are  here  inserted  from  the  author's  work,  entitled: 
'The  Life  and  Reign  of  Nicholas  I.,  Emperor  of  Russia,"  &c. 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  187 

of  Greece.  And  afterward,  as  age  after  age  revolved,  that 
fertile  and  delicious  clime  became  successively  the  prey  of  the 
invading  Greeks,  the  Romans,  the  Goths,  the  Tartars,  and 
the  Turks.  At  length,  in  the  year  1774,  the  Empress 
Catherine  II.  of  Russia,  suddenly  arousing  herself  from  the 
voluptuous  embraces  of  her  fawning  and  pampered  paramours, 
cast  her  ambitious  eyes  abroad  over  its  rich  valleys  and  fruit- 
covered  plains  ;  and  she  resolved  that  they  should  become 
incorporated  into  her  vast  empire.  For  a  time  she  forgot,  or 
at  least  suspended,  her  tender  and  licentious  dalliances,  in 
order  to  obey  the  promptings  of  a  sterner  and  perhaps  a 
nobler  passion,  —  that  of  conquest  and  aggression.  The 
policy  which  she  adopted  was  the  one  to  which  the  Muscovite 
sovereigns  have  ever  been  partial ;  she  extended  her  protec- 
tion first,  she  imposed  her  jurisdiction  and  supremacy  after- 
ward. She  first  induced  the  khans  of  the  Crimea,  by  her 
secret  emissaries,  to  resist  the  Turkish  authority.  A  war  then 
ensued  between  the  sultan  and  his  rebellious  subjects.  The 
Russian  empress  interfered,  and  at  length  stipulated  for  the 
independence  of  the  Tartars  from  the  Turkish  yoke.  The 
khans  being  thus  free,  she  next  provoked  animosities  and 
conflicts  between  them.  She  was  again  invited  to  interpose 
She  complied  with  the  request  of  the  khans ;  she  took  their 
causes  of  dispute  into  consideration ;  and  restored  peace 
among  them  by  inducing  the  reigning  khan,  Sahim  Gheray, 
to  adopt  Russian  principles  of  government.  This  excited 
the  rebellion  of  his  subjects,  as  Catherine  intended  that  it 
should  ;  and  he  was  forced  to  abdicate  the  throne.  He  was 
then  dragged  as  a  prisoner  to  an  obscure  Russian  town  ;  was 
delivered  over  to  the  Turks  and  was  finally  beheaded  by  them 
at  Rhodes.  Thus,  the  Crimea  being  left  without  a  legitimate 
master,  Russia  easily  assumed  the  sovereign  power ;  and  this 
lawless  assumption  Turkey  was  at  last  compelled  to  confirm 
and  recognize,  by  the  solemn  treaty  of  1784. 

The  Crimea  being  thus  annexed  to  the  Russian  Empire,  it 
was  necessary  to  create  a  new  metropolis  for  the  new  pro- 


188  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

vince.  Prince  Potempkin,  then  the  minister  of  the  triumphant 
Empress,  settled  the  question  of  the  location  of  the  capital, 
after  a  peculiar  fashion  of  his  own.  He  tossed  up  a  coin, 
and  Simferopol,  the  ancient  capital,  was  destined  still  to 
retain  that  dignity.  The  seat  of  the  new  government  was 
established  there,  large  barracks  were  erected,  and  a  strong 
garrison  was  placed  in  occupation  of  the  works. 

But  still,  the  ambition  of  the  invincible  Catherine  was  not 
satiated.  Imperial  majesty  and  greatness  were  without  an 
adequate  representative  among  the  cities  of  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  her  dominions.  She  must  possess  a  fortress  of 
sufficient  magnitude  to  defend  the  Crimea  from  external 
attack,  and  as  a  formidable  centre  for  her  own  future  aggres- 
sion. The  old  and  obscure  town  of  Akhtiar  was  found  to 
offer  very  great  advantages  for  such  a  purpose.  Immediately 
an  army  of  workmen  were  ordered  thither,  and  enormous 
works  were  at  once  begun.  New  harbors  were  excavated. 
Immense  arsenals  were  built.  Colossal  fortresses  were  con 
structed.  Vast  quantities  of  the  munitions  of  war  were 
accumulated.  All  the  resources  then  possessed  by  the  art 
of  engineering  were  exhausted  in  the  defence  of  the  place, 
and  in  the  construction  of  its  works.  A  powerful  and  per- 
manent garrison  was  stationed  there,  to  overawe  the  Sultan, 
and  to  protect  Russian  commerce  in  the  Black  Sea  and  the 
Dardanelles.  And  this  new  bulwark  of  Russian  power,  this 
grim  portend  of  coming  aggression,  was  then  called  Sevas- 
topol,— a  name  which  has  since  become  heir  to  a  world-wide 
but  an  unfortunate  celebrity.  And  soon  the  shores  of  the 
Crimea  became  studded  with  the  splendid  palaces  and  sump- 
tuous retreats  of  the  nobility  of  the  Russian  capital,  who 
were  enamored  of  its  balmy  skies,  its  delicious  atmosphere, 
its  fertile  plains,  and  its  beautiful  scenery. 

Nicholas  I.  had  occupied  the  throne  of  the  czars  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  when  he  seems  to  have  come  to  the  conclusion, 
that  the  period  had  at  length  arrived,  when  he  should  realize 
the  glorious  and  crowning  project  of  his  life  and  ambition, — 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  189 

the  final  and  complete  subjugation  of  the  throne  of  the  Sul- 
tans to  his  own,  and  the  incorporation  of  the  European 
empire  of  the  infidels  into  that  of  the  orthodox  believers. 

That  was  in  truth  a  sublime  spectacle,  presented  by  the 
powerful  Czar,  as  seated  in  his  northern  capital,  he  delibe- 
rately contemplated  the  achievement  of  this  vast  enterprise. 
That  he  never  for  a  moment  doubted  the  certainty  of  his  com- 
plete success,  will  readily  be  admitted  by  all  who  are  familiar 
with  the  stern  character  of  Nicholas,  with  the  imbecility  of 
the  sultan,  and  with  the  relative  physical  forces  of  their  two 
empires.  And  this  gorgeous  dream  of  Oriental  conquest 
was  the  same  which  bad  once  fired  the  imagination  of  the  as- 
piring Catherine  ;  but  which  her  sudden  death  had  prevented 
her  from  attempting  to  realize.  Alexander  I.  had  been 
diverted  from  it,  by  his  terrible  conflicts  with  Napoleon  I. 
And  now  Nicholas,  not  less  ambitious  and  more  powerful 
than  either,  determined  to  emulate  the  fame  of  the  Great 
Peter,  the  first  founder  of  the  empire,  by  himself  deserving 
the  equal  title  of  its  second  creator,  by  adding  to  it  the  vast 
conquests  which  his  triumphant  arms  would  make,  over  the 
patrimony  of  the  descendants  of  the  False  Prophet. 

Never  had  a  more  gorgeous  conception  than  this,  inflamed 
the  imagination,  and  elicited  the  abilities,  of  a  conqueror. 
It  would  have  thrown  a  halo  of  transcendent  glory  around 
his  name,  had  he  been  the  ultimate  vanquisher  of  that  once 
formidable  and  sanguinary  power,  which  for  so  many  ages 
had  disturbed  the  repose  of  Christendom ;  which  had  crushed 
the  stately  republic  of  Venice  ;  which  had  assaulted  the  bul- 
warks of  Vienna ;  which  had  desolated  the  commerce  of  the 
Mediterranean  ;  and  which  had  inflicted  on  so  many  myriads 
of  unfortunate  believers  the  horrors  of  a  captivity  far  worse 
than  death  itself.  And  had  the  Czar  been  able  to  realize  this 
stupendous  scheme  of  conquest,  his  consolidated  empire 
would  then  indeed  have  been  more  colossal  than  any  other 
which  has  ever  existed ;  than  that  of  Alexander  the  Great, 
than  that  of  Charlemagne,  than  that  even  of  Napoleou  I. 


190  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Preparatory  to  commencing  this  vast  project,  Nicholas  en" 
deavored  to  cajole  and  deceive  the  British  government,  either 
into  active  co-operation  with  him,  or  into  a  passive  indiffer- 
ence  to   his   measures.     He   took   occasion   to   express  his 
feigned  sentiments  of  amity  toward  England,  to  the  English 
ambassador  then  at  his  court,  Sir  H.  Seymour,  in  February, 
1854.     Said  he:   "It  is  very  essential  that  the  English  go- 
vernment and  I  should  be  on  the  best  terms ;  and  the  neces- 
sity was  never  greater  than  at  present.     I  beg  you  to  convey 
these  words  to  Lord  John  Russel.     As  long  as  we  are  agreed, 
I  am  quite  indifferent  as  to  the  rest  of  Europe."     "It  in- 
stantly occurred  to  me,"  continued  Sir  H.  Seymour,  in  re- 
ference to  this  conversation,  "  that  it  was  incomplete,  and  I 
determined  to  inquire  more  particularly  into  his  views.     I 
therefore  said  to  his  majesty,  '  Permit  me  to  take  a  great 
liberty.'     '  Certainly;  let  me  hear  what  it  is.'     I  observed 
to  him  that  I  should  be  particularly  glad  if  his  majesty  would 
add  a  few  words  which  would  tend  to  calm  the  anxiety  with 
regard  to  the  affairs  of  Turkey,  which  existed  in  England. 
Said  Nicholas ,   '  The  affairs  of  Turkey  are  in  a  very  disor- 
ganized condition.     The  country  indeed  seems  to  be  going  to 
ruin,  (menace  mine;)  its  fall  will  be  a  great  misfortune,  and 
it  is  very  important  that  England  and  Russia  should  come  to 
a  perfectly  good  understanding  upon  these  affairs.     We  have 
on  our  hands  a  sick  man,  — a  very  sick  man.     It  will  be  a 
great  misfortune,  if  one  of  these  days,  he  should  slip  away 
from  us. '  "* 

In  1853,  the  French  ambassador  at  Constantinople  had 
been  instructed  to  inquire  into  certain  alleged  grievances 
which  were  inflicted  upon  the  Latin  or  Roman  Christians  in 
Palestine.  The  Sultan,  on  receiving  the  communication  of 
the  French  ambassador,  General  Aupich,  on  the  subject,  im- 

1  "Nous  avons  sur  les  bras  un  homme  malade,  —  un  homme  grave- 
ment  malade;  ce  sera  un  grand  malheur  si,  un  de  ces  jours,  il  devait 
nous  6chapper ;  surtout  avant  que  toutes  les  dispositions  necessaries 
fussent  prises,"  &c. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  191 

mediately  appointed  a  commission  to  investigate  the  grounds 
of  complaint.  This  commission  declared,  after  the  necessary 
examination,  that  the  Latins  were  entitled  to  the  guardian- 
ship of  the  "  Holy  Places"  in  question,  inasmuch  as  they  had 
been  formerly  named  in  a  firman  which  the  Sultan  had  granted 
to  that  church,  as  entitled  to  that  trust. 

Here  then  was  the  decided  pretext  for  hostilities  for  which 
the  Czar  so  eagerly  searched.  He  immediately  wrote  to  the 
Sultan,  Abd-ul-Medjid,  insisting  that  the  privileges  of  the 
Greek  Christians  in  Palestine  had  been  invaded  ;  and  requi- 
ring that  the  custody  of  the  Holy  Places  should  be  withdrawn 
from  the  Latins,  and  entrusted  to  the  Greeks.  The  Sultan, 
on  receiving  this  portentous  epistle  from  the  Czar,  was  terri- 
fied. He  immediately  annulled  the  proceedings  of  the  com- 
mission, and  appointed  another  to  take  the  same  matter  into 
consideration.  This  commission  attempted  to  obviate  all 
causes  of  dispute,  and  reported  in  favor  of  allowing  the  Greek 
and  Latin  Christians  to  have  equal  access  and  right  to  the 
great  Cupola  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre ;  and  that  the  Latins 
should  have  access  to  the  Tomb  of  the  Virgin,  and  a  key  to 
the  Church  of  Bethlehem. 

To  this  very  reasonable  arrangement  the  French  govern- 
ment acceded  ;  and  here  would  have  been  an  end  of  all  diffi- 
culty so  far  as  everybody  was  concerned,  excepting  the  Czar. 
But  he  did  not  entertain  the  remotest  idea  of  being  satisfied 
with  any  thing  ;  no  concession,  however  fair  and  reasonable, 
would  have  been  received  by  him  as  a  final  adjustment  of 
the  dangerous  and  unhappy  dispute.  With  the  most  despi- 
cable duplicity  and  dishonesty  he  directed  his  ambassador  to 
insist,  that  the  key  which  the  Latins  were  to  possess,  should 
be  that  of  aside-door  only  ;  and  that  the  promulgation  of  the 
decree  of  the  Sultan  should  be  read  in  Jerusalem  in  the  most 
public  manner,  and  then  announced  throughout  the  Turkish 
dominions.  To  these  absurd  demands  the  Sultan  showed  an 
unexpected  and  spirited  resistance.  He  was  inflexible  in 
reference  to  the  important  matter  of  the  key;  and  the  entrance 


192  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

to  the  Great  Door  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  was 
formally  entrusted  to  the  Latin  monks. 

Nicholas  pretended  to  be  incensed  at  the  stubbornness  of 
the  Sultan,  and  his  resistance  to  his  just  demands  ;  and  in  the 
spring  of  1853  he  announced  that  he  was  about  to  send  to 
Constantinople  an  extraordinary  ambassador  of  high  rank, 
commissioned  to   set   forth   in    full    his   demands.     On   the 
1st  of  March,   accordingly,  Prince  Menschikoff  arrived  in 
Constantinople  ;    and  the  very  next  day  demanded  and  re- 
ceived an  audience  with  the  Sultan.    This  very  first  procedure 
was  an  insult  to  the  Ottoman  court  and  sovereign,  inasmuch 
as  diplomatic  etiquette  imperatively  required,  that  he  should 
first  have  had  an  interview  with  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Af- 
fairs.    A  month  passed  away  in  arrogant  and  unreasonable 
assumptions  on  the  one  side,  and  in  vain  attempts  at  concilia- 
tion and  arrangement  on  the  other.     At  length,  on  the  5th  of 
May,  Prince  Menschikoff  announced  to  the  Divan,  that  he 
had  received  the  ultimatum  of  the  Czar,  the  acceptance  of 
which  on  the  part  of  the  Sultan  would  prevent  any  further 
difficulties.      This   ultimatum  was  in   substance   a   demand, 
that  the  Sultan  should  acknowledge  a  Russian  protectorate 
over  all  the  Greek  subjects  of  the  Ottoman  empire, — a  con- 
cession which  would  have  been  equivalent  to  establishing  a 
Russian  supremacy  over  two-thirds  of  the  population  of  the 
Turkish  dominions.     Menschikoff  allowed  the  Sultan  twelve 
days  for  the  acceptance  of  this  infamous  proposition  ;  which 
was  ultimately  rejected. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  narrate  all  the  events  of  the 
memorable  war  in  the  East.  Sevastopol  fell,  after  a  siege  of 
a  year's  duration,  and  after  a  hundred  thousand  men  had 
perished  around  and  within  her  walls.  An  armistice  was 
proclaimed  between  the  belligerent  forces  early  in  the  year 
1856;  and,  in  a  few  weeks  afterwards,  the  plenipotentiaries 
of  Austria,  Russia,  France,  Great  Britain,  Sardinia,  and 
Turkey,  duly  accredited  from  their  respective  governments, 
assembled  in  Paris,  to  arrange  the  preliminaries  and  the  con- 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  193 

ditions  of  a  treaty  which  should  give  permanent  peace  to  a 
troubled  continent. 

On  this  important  and  memorable  occasion,  which  involved 
the  vital  interests  of  so  many  millions  of  human  beings, 
Austria  was  represented  by  Count  Buol ;  Russia,  by  Count 
Orloff;  France,  by  Prince  Walewski ;  Great  Britain,  by 
Lord  Clarendon  ;  Sardinia,  by  Count  Cavour ;  and  Turkey, 
by  Ali  Pacha,  —  diplomatists  of  the  highest  eminence  and 
celebrity  in  Europe. 

On  Sunday,  March  30th,  1856,  the  long  and  arduous  labors 
of  these  plenipotentiaries  terminated. 

The  draft  of  the  general  treaty  of  peace  drawn  up  by  the 
Comiti  de  Redaction  having,  in  the  sitting  of  Saturday,  ob- 
tained the  sanction  of  the  Congress,  the  plenipotentiaries  of 
the  contracting  Powers  met  the  next  day  to  proceed  to  the 
formal  act  of  affixing  their  signatures  to  the  document.  M. 
Feuillet  de  Conches,  chief  of  the  protocol  department  in  the 
Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs,  had  caused  seven  copies  of  the 
treaty,  written  on  parchment,  to  be  prepared  and  placed 
on  the  table  of  the  conferees  in  such  a  manner  that  each 
copy  was  put  before  the  plenipotentiary  of  the  government 
by  which  it  was  to  be  ratified.  After  the  text  of  the  seven 
copies  had  been  carefully  compared,  the  plenipotentiaries 
proceeded  to  affix  their  signatures  to  the  end  of  the  treaty. 
Count  Walewski,  as  President  of  the  Congress,  signed  first, 
and  the  other  representatives  in  the  alphabetical  order  of 
their  respective  countries.  It  was  at  this  moment  that  the 
emperor  was  informed  by  electric  telegraph  that  the  treaty 
of  peace  was  being  signed  ;  and  his  Majesty  sent  back  word 
to  the  members  of  the  Congress  that  he  would  be  ready  to 
receive  them  after  they  had  concluded  their  task.  But, 
although  the  mere  act  of  affixing  their  signatures  occupied 
the  plenipotentiaries  but  a  very  brief  portion  of  time,  yet  the 
whole  of  the  formality  of  signing  lasted  nearly  two  hours,  as 
the  plenipotentiaries,  in  addition  to  their  signatures  at  the 
bottom  of  each  protocol,  had  to  affix  their  initials  to  the 
17  N 


194  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

different  paragraphs,  the  whole  number  of  such  minor  signa- 
tures being,  it  is  said,  thirty-eight.  The  plenipotentiaries  of 
each  contracting  Power  signed  first  the  copy  reserved  for 
their  government,  and  then  the  other  plenipotentiaries  signed 
in  alphabetical  order.  In  this  manner,  each  contracting 
Power  figuring  at  the  head  of  the  signatures  of  the  copy 
which  it  was  to  ratify,  all  difficulties  as  to  etiquette  or  pre- 
cedency were  avoided.  To  each  signature  was  immediately 
attached  the  privy  seal  of  each  plenipotentiary.  Immediately 
after  the  close  of  the  sitting,  all  the  plenipotentiaries  repaired 
together  to  the  Tuilleries,  where  they  had  the  honor  of  being 
received  by  the  Emperor.  Cabinet  couriers  were  sent  off  in 
the  evening  to  London,  Vienna,  Berlin,  St.  Petersburg,  Turin, 
and  Constantinople,  in  order  to  submit  the  treaty  to  the 
ratification  of  their  respective  sovereigns. 

The  first  point  of  this  treaty  implied  a  material  guarantee 
i — the  neutralization  of  the  Black  Sea — the  only  high-road  to 
Constantinople  for  a  Russian  fleet.  Russia  was  to  destroy  her 
arsenals  and  forts  in  the  Black  Sea,  which  was  to  become  a 
commercial  sea,  with  European  consuls  in  its  ports.  On  the 
land  side,  the  Danubian  Principalities  were  to  form  a  barriei 
against  any  further  attempt  at  aggression  by  Russia. 

The  second  point  had  a  moral,  political,  as  well  as  a  general 
object.  Russia  renounced  all  pretension  to  interfere  in  the 
internal  administration  of  Turkey,  which  latter  entered  into 
the  great  family  of  nations. 

The  Emperor  Alexander  II.  solemnly  declared  that  he 
renounced  sincerely  and  completely  the  traditional  policy  of 
Peter  the  Great  and  of  Catherine  II.,  as  regarded  the  exten- 
sion of  the  Russian  Empire  in  the  East. 

The  third  point  guaranteed  the  freedom  of  the  navigation 
of  the  Danube  to  all  countries. 

The  fourth  point  secured  the  immunities  and  privileges  of 
the  Christian  subjects  of  the  Porte. 

The  fifth  point  concerned  Nicolaieff,  which  was  to  be  dis- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  195 

mantled,  the  Aland  Islands,  Ismail,  and  Bomarsund.     All 
these  points  were  satisfactorily  settled. 

The  treaty  was  signed  with  a  quill  expressly  prepared  for 
the  occasion.  The  plenipotentiaries  intended  each  to  retain 
the  pen  with  which  he  signed  his  name  and  made  his  flourishes. 
But  the  Empress  Eugenie  having  expressed  a  desire  to  pre- 
serve the  quill  with  which  the  treaty  was  executed,  the  pleni- 
potentiaries acceded  to  her  wish,  and  a  pen  was  accordingly 
provided  for  this  distinguished  purpose.  An  eagle's  quill 
was  selected,  which  was  elegantly  mounted  in  gold  and  gems. 
Why  this  bellicose  emblem  was  chosen,  instead  of  a  more 
pacific  goose-quill,  does  not  clearly  appear  ! 

The  moment  the  signatures  were  completed,  a  telegraphic 
signal  sent  to  the  Invalides  indicated  the  happy  consumma- 
tion ;  and  a  hundred  and  one  discharges  of  artillery  pro- 
claimed in  tones  of  thunder,  to  the  astonished  and  delighted 
inhabitants  of  the  capital,  the  welcome  tidings  and  auspicious 
news  of  "peace  on  earth,  and  good-will  to  men." 

This  much-discussed  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  on  the 
anniversary  of  a  great  event.  On  that  day,  forty-two  years 
before,  was  fought  the  battle  of  Paris,  the  last  act  of  the 
great  drama  of  which  Europe  was  the  theatre  ;  and  on  the 
following  day  the  Russians  entered  the  French  capital,  and 
dictated  terms  of  peace  where  now  their  ambassadors  came  to 
ask  for  it. 

This  finale  to  the  war  in  the  East,  so  flattering  to  the  pride 
of  the  French  people,  was  chiefly  due  to  the  skilful  manage- 
ment of  Louis  Napoleon.  It  was  through  his  efforts  that 
England  had  combined  with  France  in  supporting  the  cause 
of  Turkey.  He  took  care  to  send  to  the  Crimea  a  powerful 
and  efficient  army,  to  press  on  the  siege  of  Sevastopol,  to 
drive  the  young  Czar  to  extremities,  to  compel  him  to  pro- 
pose terms  of  peace,  to  summon  a  congress  of  plenipotenti- 
aries, to  appoint  his  capital  as  the  place  of  meeting,  to 
superintend  and  control  their  deliberations  ;  and,  finally,  so 
to  mould  them  thai  the  chief  glory  and  profit,  both  of  the  war 


196  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

and    of  the  peace,  should    redound   to   himself  and  to  hi3 
Empire. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  chief  gainer  by  this  war  was 
the  Emperor  of  the  French.  Nor  was  it  the  least  important 
of  his  advantages  that  he  had  become  the  ally  of  England. 
Previous  to  that  alliance  she  had  been  his  worst  enemy  among 
the  nations.  The  tone  of  the  whole  English  press  in  1852, 
and  previously,  in  reference  to  Louis  Napoleon,  was  abusive 
and  derisive  in  the  extreme.  There  probably  never  was  the 
same  amount  of  printed  ridicule  heaped  upon  any  one  man, 
as  that  which  the  English  press  lavished  on  Louis  Napoleon 
previous  to  this  alliance.  They  stigmatized  him  in  the  vilest 
language  as  a  despicable  parvenu,  as  a  worthless  debauchee, 
as  a  stupid  and  silly  adventurer,  as  devoid  of  all  talent,  and 
force  or  dignity  of  character ;  and  they  asserted  that  his 
election  to  the  presidency  was  an  eternal  and  indelible  dis- 
grace to  the  French  people.  The  London  Times  especially, 
the  great  literary  monster  of  the  age,  exhausted  every  resource 
of  sarcasm  and  abuse  on  the  unhappy  aspirant  to  the  imperial 
crown. 

It  is  both  amusing  in  itself,  and  illustrative  of  the  utter 
worthlessness  of  the  popular  hue  and  cry,  to  observe  the  total 
change  of  tone  and  sentiment  which  characterized  the  British 
press  after  the  alliance  with  France  had  taken  place,  and 
during  the  progress  and  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war. 
Between  the  years  1852  and  1855,  by  some  potent  and 
mysterious  process,  the  character  and  almost  the  identity  of 
Louis  Napoleon  had  been  totally  changed.  At  the  latter 
period  the  English  press  and  people  lauded  him  to  the  skies 
as  a  man  of  prodigious  abilities,  of  great  worth  and  dignity 
of  character,  of  noble  and  lofty  sentiments,  as  the  saviour 
and  benignant  genius  of  France  ;  and  his  elevation  to  the 
imperial  throne  was  spoken  of  as  the  most  fortunate  and  pro- 
pitious event  which  had  happened  to  France  in  many  genera- 
tions. The  London  Times  now  became  frantic  in  his  praise. 
It  could  scarcely  find  language  with  which   adequately  to 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  197 

express  the  transcendent  merits  of  the  very  man  upon  whose 
head,  three  years  before,  it  had  exhausted  every  expression 
of  contempt,  hatred  and  derision.  And  it  need  scarcely  be 
said,  that  to  every  reflecting  and  impartial  mind,  both  the 
extreme  of  censure  and  the  extreme  of  adulation  were  unde- 
served and  unjust.  Louis  Napoleon  is  neither  on  the  one 
hand  an  idiot  or  a  demon  ;  nor  is  he  on  the  other  a  demigod 
or  an  angel. 

So  very  popular  had  the  alliance  between  France  and  Eng- 
land rendered  Louis  Napoleon  in  the  latter  country,  that,  in 
1855,  he  and  the  Empress  Eugenie  visited  the  British  queen 
in  her  own  dominions.  The  display  of  courtly  pageantries 
and  lavish  hospitality,  of  aristocratic  adulation  and  of  popular 
applause,  was  prodigious  and  overwhelming.  Addresses  were 
made  to  his  Imperial  Majesty  by  the  great  corporations  of 
the  British  capital.  The  style  which  characterized  all  these 
addresses  may  be  inferred  from  one  or  two  examples.  We 
quote  from  those  offered  by  the  ancient  and  honorable  Corpo- 
ration of  Windsor,  and  by  the  Merchants,  Bankers,  and 
Brokers  of  London.    The  former  body  emitted  the  following  : 

"We  are  sensible,  Sire,  that  to  the  wisdom  and  vigor  of 
your  Imperial  Majesty's  councils,  and  to  your  unceasing  en- 
deavors to  promote  the  true  interests  of  the  powerful  and 
generous  nation  which  Providence  has  committed  to  your 
care,  may  be  attributed  that  prosperity  and  happiness  which 
your  country  now  so  freely  enjoys;  and  we  venture  to  augur 
that,  by  encouraging  a  friendly  and  personal  intercourse  be- 
tween your  Imperial  Majesty  and  the  sovereign  of  Great 
Britain,  your  Majesty  adopts  the  6urest  means,  not  only  of 
strengthening  a  happy  and  stable  alliance  between  the  two 
countries,  but  of  maintaining  the  liberties  and  civilization  of 
Europe. 

"  May  your  Imperial  Majesty  and  your  illustrious  Consort 
long  live  to  enjoy  every  domestic  and  personal  blessing, 
and  the  loyalty  and  attachment  of  an  admiring  and  grateful 
people." 

IT* 


198  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

The  address  of  the  London  merchants  contained,  among 
other  sentiments,  the  following  : 

"We  fervently  rejoice  in  the  advancing  prosperity  of 
France,  in  the  consolidation  of  order,  in  the  establishment 
of  confidence,  so  eminently  manifested  under  your  Majesty's 
reign. 

"  We  desire  that  these  blessings  may  continue ;  that  a 
growing  and  mutually  advantageous  commercial  intercourse 
may  be  maintained  between  the  two  countries,  —  and,  above 
all,  that  the  inhabitants  of  both  may  be  so  connected  by  the 
ties  of  reciprocal  esteem  and  good-will,  that  their  present 
amicable  position  may  endure  for  this  and  succeeding  gene- 
rations, to  their  common  welfare,  and  the  advancement  of 
civilization  throughout  the  world." 

The  replies  which  the  Emperor  made  to  all  these  fond  ad- 
dresses were  calculated  to  flatter  the  pride  of  the  British 
people,  to  increase  his  popularity  with  them,  and  to  render 
the  harmony  of  sentiment  between  the  two  nations  more  com- 
plete. The  populace  following  the  example  set  them  by  the 
court,  expressed  their  admiration  of  the  imperial  visitor  in 
the  most  extravagant  and  tumultuous  manner.  His  appear- 
ance in  the  public  highways  was  the  signal  for  the  joyous 
assembling  of  thousands ;  and  he  who  had  formerly  paced 
the  streets  of  London  almost  destitute  of  a  shilling,  and  de- 
pendent entirely  upon  the  despotic  yet  amorous  partiality  of 
Mrs.  Howard  for  his  daily  subsistence,  now  rode  along  the 
same  streets  as  the  honored  guest  of  the  British  monarch,  and 
overwhelmed  with  the  rapturous  adoration  of  that  very  same 
crowd,  whose  disorders  and  breaches  of  the  peace  he  had  for- 
merly aided  in  person  to  suppress,  as  a  London  constable  1 

On  the  occasion  of  this  visit  the  English  press  exceeded  in 
its  praises  of  the  illustrious  stranger,  all  its  previous  achieve- 
ments. The  London  Times  as  usual  took  the  lead.  The 
following  extract  from  its  columns  is  interesting,  when  con 
trasted  with  the  furious  abuse  of  him,  which  several  yeara 
before  had  been  concocted  by  the  same  brain,  which  had  been 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  109 

printed  by  the  same  type,  and  which  had  been  issued  from 
the  same  office  : 

"  It  was  the  associations  connected  with  Napoleon  the 
Third  —  the  remembrance  of  his  deeds,  and  the  knowledge 
of  his  worth,  which  pressed  along  his  progress  the  millions 
who  this  week  have  given  to  the  world  an  imperishable  testi- 
mony of  their  appreciation,  their  amply  founded  appreciation, 
of  fortitude  in  troubles,  energy  in  action,  courage  amidst  dan- 
gers, and  clemency  amid  triumphs.  They  honored  the  wis- 
dom and  probity  which  occupied  a  mighty  throne,  and 
honored  the  thousand  princely  qualities  which  had  won  it : 
they  honored  the  great  man  who  had  retrieved  the  prospe- 
rity and  the  power  of  France  :  they  honored  the  good  sove- 
reign, whose  chief  care  is  the  welfare  of  his  people ;  and  in 
the  greeting  offered  to  Napoleon,  we  may  truly  add,  there 
was  love  for  the  nation  which  he  had  restored  to  its  legitimate 
place  amongst  the  powers  of  the  earth  at  a  moment  most 
critical  to  its  destinies,  and  given  back,  with  the  suddenness 
of  enchantment,  all  its  internal  prosperity,  after  convulsions 
which  made  the  most  sanguine  despair  of  its  future.  Given 
back  !  He  has  opened  for  it  a  new  career  of  unprecedented 
success !  " 

The  Emperor  returned  to  his  capital,  greatly  gratified  with 
the  results  of  his  visit  to  the  British  queen.  But  his  plea- 
surable sensations  were  somewhat  diminished  by  an  attempt 
to  assassinate  him  on  the  28th  of  April,  when  riding  near  the 
Barrier  de  l'Etoile,  shortly  after  his  return.  On  that  occasion 
the  Emperor  behaved  with  his  usual  calmness  of  demeanor : 
and  was  the  first  to  ride  up  to  the  Empress  and  assure  her 
of  his  safety.  In  his  address  to  the  Senate  in  answer  to  their 
congratulations  upon  his  escape,  the  Emperor  remarked  that 
there  are  some  lives  which  could  not  be  destroyed  until  they 
had  fulfilled  the  destiny  assigned  them  by  Providence  ;  that 
his  mission  was  not  yet  finished  ;  and  that  until  it  was  com- 
pleted no  assassin's  blow  could  injure  him.  The  best  "  Pro- 
vidence "  which,  on  that  occasion  as  well  as  several  others, 


200  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

saved  his  life,  was  a  fine  coat  of  steel  mail  on  which  the 
utmost  art  of  the  armorer  has  been  exhausted,  which  he  con- 
stantly wore  on  his  person.1 

A  few  mouths  afterward,  the  prolific  Queen  of  England  re- 
turned the  visit  which  the  Emperor  of  the  French  had  made 
her.  On  that  memorable  occasion,  the  brilliant  capital  of 
France  assumed  unwonted  hues  of  splendor,  and  exhibited 
scenes  of  festivity  and  joy,  such  as  probably  Europe  had 
never  seen  before.  The  "World's  Exhibition  of  Industry" 
had  gathered  together  there  a  host  of  strangers,  both  opulent, 
eminent  and  obscure,  from  every  quarter  of  the  habitable  globe. 
The  great  centre  of  modern  civilization,  luxury,  art,  science 
and  fashion,  exhausted  all  her  infinite  resources,  to  impress, 
delight  and  charm  the  royal  visitor.  During  many  ages 
there  had  never  been  such  an  event  as  these  reciprocal  visits 
between  the  English  and  French  sovereigns ;  and  the  occa- 
sion was  rendered  as  memorable  as  human  ingenuity  combined 
with  wealth,  refinement,  and  liberality,  could  make  it.  It 
were  vain  and  useless  to  attempt  a  description  of  that  gay 
carnival  which  marked  the  presence  of  the  British  Queen  and 
her  attendants  in  Paris.  The  impression  which  was  pro- 
duced upon  the  public  mind  by  the  events  which  there  took 
place,  may  be  inferred  from  the  following  extract  from  one 
of  the  leading  Parisian  journals,  which  appeared  at  the  ter- 
mination of  the  queen's  visit : 

"France  and  England  are  at  the  head  of  the  civilization 
of  the  world.     They  concur  equally,  although  with  qualities 

1  The  assassin's  name  in  this  instance  was  Pianori.  He  approached 
the  Emperor  and  fired  twice.  The  second  ball  grazed  Napoleon's 
hat.  The  assassin  was  immediately  seized,  and  afterward  tried,  con- 
victed, and  executed.  A  previous  attempt  to  destroy  Louis  Napoleon 
had  been  made  on  the  4th  of  July,  1854,  at  the  Opera  Comique,  by  four 
men  who  stationed  themselves  at  the  door;  but  their  suspicious  conduct 
caused  them  to  be  arrested.  They  were  the  agents  of  two  secret  socie- 
ties, composed  of  forty  members,  who  had  sworn  to  establish  a  republio 
and  proclaim  Blanqui  dictator. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  201 

diverse,  in  the  encouragement  of  human  intelligence  in  the 
path  of  progress.  They  are  by  agreement  to  accomplish 
together  that  mission  of  peace  which  they  have  received  from 
Providence,  and  from  which  they  do  not  allow  themselves  to 
be  led  astray  by  the  complaints  and  the  irritations  of  envious 
and  egotistical  rivalries.  When  two  nations  intermingle  and 
become  identified  in  a  perpetual  exchange  of  ideas  and 
things,  how  can  they  be  otherwise  than  allies  ?  .  .  More  than 
once  it  has  been  attempted  to  disunite  the  two  nations  on  the 
most  frivolous  and  ridiculous  pretexts.  Scarcely  two  years 
ago,  were  we  not  witnesses  to  the  strangest  spectacle  ?  Have 
we  not  seen  England  a  prey  to  illusions  somewhat  peurile,  in 
a  state  of  alarm  about  our  designs,  and  arming  herself  to 
resist  a  chimerical  invasion  from  France  ?  What  suspicion 
and  defiance  I  What  violence  and  insult !  Confidence  is 
now  happily  re-established.  The  alliance  which  for  a 
moment  one  might  have  conceived  to  be  menaced  has  re- 
covered from  that  shock,  and  even  those  who  repelled  it  with 
the  greatest  wrath  and  indignation  proclaim  it  for  evermore 
unshakable,  and  necessary  for  the  prosperity,  the  glory,  the 
honor  of  the  country.  " 

The  felicity  of  Louis  Napoleon  was  now  about  to  receive 
a  further  augmentation,  and  his  sudden  yet  vigorous  empire 
to  be  strengthened  by  an  additional  element  of  perpetuity  and 
power.  On  the  14th  of  March,  1855,  a  son  and  heir  was 
born  to  the  Emperor.  On  this  occasion,  the  accoucheur 
was  M.  Dubois,  the  grandson  of  that  M.  Dubois  who  offi- 
ciated in  the  same  capacity  to  Maria  Louisa  some  fifty  years 
before,  at  the  birth  of  the  unfortunate  King  of  Rome.  He 
afterward  received  from  the  grateful  Emperor  a  present  of 
forty  thousand  francs  ;  being  twice  the  sum  bestowed  by  the 
first  Emperor  on  the  physician  of  the  Austrian  Princess. 

The  joy  exhibited  throughout  France,  on  the  birth  of  the 
imperial  prince,  was  excessive.  The  birth  of  the  King  of 
Rome  had  not  elicited  greater  displays  of  enthusiasm.  The 
name  given  to  the  new  heir  of  the  empire  was  Napoleon- 


202  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Louis-Eugene- Jean-Joseph- Prince  of  Algeria,  and  Fils  de 
France.  The  addresses  of  congratulation  sent  to  the  happy 
E-mperor  from  all  the  corporations  and  cities  of  France  were 
innumerable.  To  all  of  these,  he  made  prudent  and  polite 
replies,  which  were  well  received.  The  following  extracts 
will  serve  as  specimens  of  the  whole,  and  are  useful  as  indi- 
cating the  prevalent  feeling  of  the  nation.  The  first  was  in 
reply  to  the  address  of  the  Senate  : 

"The  Senate  has  participated  in  my  joy  on  hearing  that 
Heaven  has  given  me  a  son,  and  you  have  hailed  as  a  happy 
event  the  birth  of  a  child  of  France.  I  intentionally  make 
use  of  that  expression.  In  fact  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  my 
uncle,  who  had  applied  to  the  new  system  created  by  the  re- 
volution all  that  was  great  and  elevated  in  the  old  regime, 
had  resumed  that  ancient  denomination  of  the  children  of 
France.  The  reason  is,  gentlemen,  that  when  an  heir  is  born 
who  is  destined  to  perpetuate  a  national  system,  that  child  is 
not  only  the  scion  of  a  family,  but  also  in  truth  the  son  of  the 
whole  country,  and  that  appellation  points  out  to  him  his 
duties.  If  this  were  true  under  the  old  monarchy,  which  re- 
presented exclusively  the  privileged  classes,  how  much  more 
so  is  it  now,  when  the  sovereign  is  the  elect  of  the  nation,  the 
first  citizen  of  the  country,  and  the  representative  of  the  in- 
terests of  all  ?  I  thank  you  for  the  kind  wishes  which  you 
have  expressed  for  this  child  of  France  and  for  the  Empress. " 

In  reply  to  the  congratulations  of  the  Corps  Legislatif, 
the  Emperor  delivered  himself  piously  as  follows : 

"  I  have  been  much  affected  at  the  manifestation  of  youi 
feelings  at  the  birth  of  a  son  whom  Providence  has  given  me. 
You  have  hailed  in  him  the  hope,  so  eagerly  entertained  by 
the  nation,  of  the  perpetuity  of  a  system  which  is  regarded 
as  the  surest  guarantee  of  the  general  interests  of  the  country  ; 
but  the  unanimous  acclamations  which  surround  his  cradle  do 
not  prevent  me  from  reflecting  on  the  destiny  of  those  who 
have  been  born  in  the  same  place  and  under  similar  circum- 
stances.    If  I  feel  hopes  that  his  fate  may  be  more  fortunate. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  203 

it  is  in  the  first  place  because  I  confide  in  Providence,  because 
I  cannot  doubt  its  protection  when  seeing  it  raise  up,  by  a 
concurrence  of  extraordinary  circumstances,  all  that  it  was 
pleased  to  level  forty  years  ago,  as  though  it  wished  to  give 
strength,  by  martyrdom  and  misfortune,  to  a  new  dynasty, 
springing  from  the  ranks  of  the  people."1 

1  It  was  on  this  happy  occasion  that  Louis  Napoleon  exhibited  his 
clemency  by  visiting  the  Chateau  cT Amboise,  where  the  heroic  Prince 
Abd-el-Kader  was  confined,  by  liberating  him  from  his  prison,  and  by 
providing  handsomely  for  the  support  of  the  despoiled  ruler  of  Algeria. 
Abd-el-Kader  gratefully  accepted  the  proffered  boon  ;  but  all  the  objects 
of  Imperial  generosity  were  not  as  appreciative  of  it.  Immediately 
after  the  conclusion  of  the  war  in  the  Crimea,  Barbes,  the  former  con- 
spirator against  the  Provisional  Government,  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend, 
in  which  he  expressed  his  joy  at  the  triumph  of  the  arms  of  France. 
This  letter  was  shown  to  Louis  Napoleon,  who  immediately  ordered  hia 
release  from  prison,  where  he  had  been  confined  ever  since  his  attempt 
against  the  government.  But  Barbes  indignantly  refused  to  receive 
his  freedom  from  the  hands  of  a  despotic  usurper.  He  insisted  on 
remaining  in  prison.  He  was  then  expelled  from  it  by  main  force. 
Unable  to  remain  under  lock  and  key,  he  refused  to  enjoy  his  liberty 
or  even  to  live  where  a  despot  reigned,  and  fled  to  England.  This  ia 
probably  the  most  singular  instance  of  ludicrous  stubbornness  on 
record. 


204  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Relation  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  Marshal  St.  Arnaud — The  Army  of 
the  Allies  —  St.  Arnaud  and  the  Coup  d'JEtat — He  takes  no  part  in 
the  Revolution  of  February  —  Leading  quality  of  St.  Arnaud  —  Hia 
peculiar  Afflictions — His  Successes — The  Slanders  which  those  Suc- 
cesses elicited  —  The  Mental  Tortures  which  they  inflicted  on  him  — 
His  only  Remedy  —  St.  Arnaud  and  the  Priest — He  is  appointed 
Commander  of  the  Army  of  the  East — Suffers  under  a  dreadful  and 
fatal  Disease — Proceedings  at  Varna — Embarkation  for  the  Crimea — 
Battle  of  the  Alma  —  Heroism  of  the  Zouaves  —  Exertions  of  St. 
Arnaud — The  Victory — He  sleeps  on  the  Battle-field —  His  Farewell 
to  the  Army  —  Resigns  the  Command  to  General  Canrobert  —  His 
Death. 

In  order  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  character  and  career 
of  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  it  will  be  necessary  to  survey 
the  qualities,  and  to  sketch  the  history  of  those  men  who  were 
his  chief  confederates,  and  his  most  important  opponents. 
This  will  enable  us  to  compute  the  nature  of  the  difficulties 
which  he  overcame  in  his  upward  pathway  to  the  throne  ;  and 
the  varied  intellectual  resources  which  eventually  secured  him 
the  victory.  Besides  all  this,  the  biographies  of  these  men 
are  interesting  and  important  in  themselves. 

Probably  the  most  remarkable  confederate  of  Louis  Napo- 
leon, and  the  one  to  whose  talents  and  labors  he  owes  the 
greatest  debt  of  obligation  is  Marshal  St.  Arnaud. 

It  was  on  the  14th  of  September,  1854,  that  two  hundred 
and  eighty-four  ships  appeared  on  the  Black  Sea  Never 
before  had  so  vast  an  armament  pressed  the  bosom  of  that 
watery  waste.  It  contained  the  confederate  armies  of  Eng- 
.and  and  France,  sailing  directly  to  the  Crimea,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  subduing  the  Russian  Colossus.     Lord  Raglan,  a 


OF     NAPOLKON    III  205 

pupil  and  a  type  of  the  iron  Wellington,  commanded  the 
English  forces.  St.  Arnaud  was  the  chief  of  the  French 
troops.  He  was  a  warrior  of  a  peculiar  mould ;  he  was  one 
of  those  adventurous  captains  who  are  frenzied  with  military 
ardor  ;  who  shine  like  meteors,  and  who  are  often  eventually 
consumed  by  the  intensity  of  their  own  heat.  His  greatness 
was  the  product  of  the  last  revolution  ;  for  his  ungovernable 
activity  which  would  have  been,  and  indeed  long  had  been, 
suppressed  and  crushed  by  the  prevalence  of  peace,  had 
enabled  him  to  rise  to  the  summit  of  political  importance, 
while  less  impetuous  spirits  prudently  withdrew  from  the  van 
of  the  contest.  Marshal  St.  Arnaud,  when  the  coup  d'etat 
of  December  was  determined  upon  by  the  President  of  France, 
stepped  forward  and  demanded  the  chief  post  of  danger  on 
that  memorable  day.  His  offer  was  accepted  ;  and  to  his 
energy  and  talents  the  success  of  the  movement  was  in  a  great 
measure  attributable. 

St.  Arnaud  fought  for  twenty  years  in  the  deserts  of  Africa, 
and  the  captive  Abd-el-Kader  was  a  living  trophy  of  his 
prowess.  In  these  inferior  positions,  he  often  displayed  supe- 
rior talents ;  and  Marshal  Bugeaud  even  then  discerned  his 
future  celebrity.  Although  St.  Arnaud  detested  democracy 
and  politics,  yet  that  prejudice  was  only  the  result  of  a  sol- 
dier's ignorance.  He  was  one  of  the  swords  of  France,  one 
of  her  most  efficient  weapons,  and  it  was  only  necessary  for 
a  crisis  in  the  history  of  his  country  to  occur,  in  which  the 
combination  of  a  sword  and  an  intellect  was  necessary  to 
strike  a  blow  and  to  direct  a  movement  of  decisive  import- 
ance, to  enable  him  to  display  his  real  power  and  fulfil  his 
legitimate  destiny.  Such  a  revolution  was  not  that  of  Feb- 
ruary. St.  Arnaud  witnessed  its  progress  and  issue  without 
concern.  Consumed  with  disgust  and  contempt  he  returned 
to  Algiers  from  his  temporary  visit  to  France  ;  he  even  looked 
with  pity  on  his  former  comrades  in  arms  who  plunged 
eagerly  into  that  commotion, — on  Cavaignac,  Bedeau,  La- 
moriciere,  Chan  gamier,  and  Leflo.  He  could  not  corapre- 
18 


206  PUBLIC    AND    PHI  V  ATE    HISTORY 

hend  why  they  should  take  an  active  part  in  such  a  revolu- 
tion ;  why  soldiers  and  heroes  should  fight  for  the  supremacy 
of  the  rabble ;  why  their  swords  should  be  made  props  for 
anything  but  thrones  and  dynasties  ;  and  in  one  of  his  letters 
from  Algiers  immediately  after  his  return  thither,  he  said  : 
"  It  is  not  yet  time  ;  the  great  revolution  in  France  and  the 
last,  has  not  yet  come  ;  but  it  soon  will  come  !"  St.  Arnaud 
was  a  wise  prophet  as  well  as  a  brave  soldier.  The  revolu- 
tion which  was  to  seal  his  glory  had  not  yet  come  ;  but  he 
entertained  unbounded  faith  in  its  advent,  nor  was  his  confi- 
dence disappointed. 

The  great  conflict  between  the  Executive  and  the  Legis- 
lature in  1851,  presented  just  such  an  occasion  as  the  General 
desired,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  which  side  to  take. 
It  was  but  reasonable  that  a  soldier  should  declare  himself 
for  the  ruling  power.  Louis  Napoleon  had  formed  a  very 
correct  idea  of  the  character  of  St.  Arnaud,  who  at  that  time 
commanded  the  division  of  Constantine.  The  latter  suddenly 
learned  that  he  was  to  be  summoned  to  Paris,  and  that  the 
porte-folio  of  the  Minister  of  War  was  to  placed  in  his  hands. 
He  at  once  discerned  the  path  of  destiny,  and  determined  to 
accept  the  offer. 

The  leading  quality  of  men  like  St.  Arnaud  is,  never  to 
yield  to  the  pressure  of  difficulties,  and  never  to  despair  of 
success.  At  first  indeed  he  had  the  modesty  to  feel  some- 
what abashed  at  the  novel  duties  which  devolved  upon  him. 
But  his  genius  was  adapted  to  the  emergency,  and  hence  the 
glory  and  the  success  with  which  he  executed  the  details  of 
the  coup  d'etat  which  the  sagacious  Louis  Napoleon  entrusted 
to  him.  In  reward  for  his  services,  the  grateful  despot 
heaped  honors  and  rewards  upon  his  head.  He  was  made  a 
Marshal  of  France.  Wealth,  influence  and  power  were  con 
ferred  upon  him.  He  was  prosperous  and  triumphant  far 
beyond  his  most  sanguine  expectations. 

But  all  human  happiness  is  imperfect,  and  every  cup  of 
bliss  is  alloyed  with  a  bitter  ingredient.     In  the  midst  of  his 


OF     NAPOLEON    III.  20? 

good  fortune,  the  Marshal  was  afflicted  with  many  tortures, 
both  physical  and  intellectual.  The  imagination  of  man  can 
scarcely  conceive  the  intensity  of  that  misery  which  corroded 
the  strong  heart  of  this  valiant  and  heroic  soldier.  In  this 
respect  the  intensity  of  the  Marshal's  nature  became  his  dead- 
liest curse.  Such  men  as  he  always  pass  their  whole  lives  in 
a  fitful  fever.  They  cannot  make  any  allowance  for  the 
delicacy  and  the  frailty  of  that  casket  —  the  body  —  in  which 
the  rich  jewel  of  their  souls  is  encased ;  and  hence  it  is 
often  shattered  and  broken  long  before  its  time. 

At  each  point  of  his  triumphant  progress  the  Marshal  was 
afflicted  by  the  blows  of  misfortune,  and  each  fresh  promo- 
tion occasioned  a  new  addition  of  mental  suffering.  Imme- 
diately after  his  promotion  to  the  post  of  Minister  of  War, 
he  was  distressed  with  the  death  of  his  son, — a  fair  and  talented 
youth  in  whom  his  soul's  affections  centred.  The  stricken 
father — the  stern  hero — exclaims  with  agony  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend  :  "  Poor  child  !  he  was  so  noble,  so  strong,  so  brave  ; 
and  yet  I  must  lose  him  !  I  was  too  proud  of  him.  He 
made  me  too  happy.  God  has  smitten  me."  From  that 
hour  forth  the  name  of  God  was  frequently  uttered  with  reve- 
rence by  the  daring  and  reckless  warrior,  who  had  passed  so 
many  years  in  impiety  and  dissipation. 

Six  weeks  after  the  death  of  his  son,  St.  Arnaud,  whose 
domestic  affections,  like  those  of  Mirabeau  and  Danton,  were 
very  strong,  was  again  afflicted  by  the  decease  of  his  mother. 
But  grief  and  suffering  still  threw  their  black  shadows  over 
his  path.  Let  us  briefly  recount  the  steps  of  that  Calvary 
on  which  at  last  he  died  I  As  soon  as  the  Marshal  had  at- 
tained the  highest  rank  in  the  military  hierarchy,  the  jealous 
spite  of  inferior  and  less  successful  men  punished  him  for  his 
success  by  the  propagation  of  the  most  abominable  calum- 
nies. All  the  unfortunate  incidents  of  his  stormy  youth,  when 
the  impetuous  impulses  of  his  passions  had  hurried  him  into 
many  follies  and  misfortunes,  were  now  exaggerated  and  nar- 
rated.    It  was  said,  among  many  other  things,  that  when 


208  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

young  he  had  been  expelled  from  his  regiment  for  theft ;  that 
he  had  accumulated  innumerable  debts ;  that  when  a  vaga- 
bond and  fugitive  in  London  he  had  subsisted  upon  the 
charity  of  a  prostitute,  and  had  even  pawned  her  clothes  for 
bread ;  that  he  had  committed  rapes  and  seductions  innu- 
merable ;  that  his  fortunes  had  become  desperate,  and  his 
character  abandoned,  in  the  extreme,  when  a  lucky  accident 
obtained  him  an  inferior  appointment  in  the  army  about  to 
proceed  to  the  conquest  of  Algiers. 

The  Marshal  was  informed  of  these,  and  many  other 
slanders.  There  is  always  in  such  cases  an  officious  friend 
whose  "  excellent  intentions"  induce  him  to  repeat  them  to 
the  subject  of  them.  These  detractors  irritated  and  mortified 
him  beyond  endurance  ;  for  they  defaced  and  deformed  all 
that  his  long  labors  had  been  spent  in  attaining,  — his  rank, 
his  fame,  and  his  popularity  with  the  army.  St.  Arnaud's 
spirit  —  always  strong,  firm,  and  impetuous  in  its  impulses  — 
chafed  like  a  caged  Numidian  lion  within  his  bosom,  at  the 
consciousness  of  the  existence  of  these  reports.  But  it  was 
utterly  impossible  to  put  a  stop  to  their  diffusion.  It  is  pos- 
sible to  say  to  an  editor,  you  shall  not  write  offensive  or  hos- 
tile articles  ;  to  a  journalist,  your  paper  is  suppressed  ;  to  a 
legislative  assembly,  you  shall  not  discuss  any  topic  which  has 
not  been  proposed  by  the  ministers.  But  no  human  power 
can  silence  the  tongues  of  myriads  of  intelligent,  gossipping, 
and  satirical  people ;  nor  prevent  gay  and  talkative  wyomen 
of  fashion,  while  reclining  in  their  luxurious  arm-chairs,  in 
the  confidence  and  familiarity  of  the  drawing-room,  from  ut- 
tering gracefully  those  witty  and  sarcastic  jests  which  indicate 
both  their  talent  and  their  unfriendliness  ;  which  fly  swiftly 
as  with  the  wings  of  a  vulture,  and  lacerate  the  reputation  as 
with  a  vulture's  claws.  The  ancient  story  of  Prometheus  was 
an  admirable  illustration  of  the  process  and  the  results  of 
calumny.  Some  wise  men  can  despise  all  this ;  but  the  Mar- 
shal was  not  one  of  these  fortunate  few. 

In  his  confidential  intercourse  with  his  brother  St.  Arnaud 


OF    N.POLEON    III.  209 

betrayed  the  secret  of  his  mental  tortures.  He  had  errone- 
ously imagined  that  a  man  might  remain  a  private  individual 
as  to  private  character,  after  he  had  embarked  on  the  stormy 
and  malignant  sea  of  politics.  He  even  believed  that  three 
or  four  powerful  factions  might  be  crushed  without  exciting 
revengeful  emotions.  He  thought  that,  in  a  public  career,  all 
the  follies  of  youth,  its  vices  and  its  excesses,  were  redeemed 
and  wiped  away  by  the  subsequent  acquisition  of  military 
glory.  But  he  soon  discovered  his  mistake.  He  found  that 
the  great  and  rich  hated  him  for  his  success  ;  and  that  the 
miserable  thousands  who,  in  the  garrets  and  cellars  of  the 
capital,  were  dying  of  hunger,  the  crushed  Orleanists,  the  Red 
Republicans,  the  Bourbonists,  and  the  Moderate  Republicans, 
—  all  were  ready  to  secure  a  crust  of  bread  and  to  satiate 
their  jealousy  and  hatred,  by  the  utterance  of  the  most  out- 
rageous calumnies  against  him.  Thus  the  Marshal,  in  spite 
of  all  his  glory,  was  a  constant  prey  to  anxiety  and  secret 
chagrin.  He  suffered  from  what  he  knew  was  said  against 
him  ;  and  he  suffered  even  still  more  from  the  formless  and 
uncertain  apprehension  of  what  he  only  suspected  might 
have  been  uttered. 

There  was  but  one  possible  relief  to  all  this  agony.  He 
needed  greater  fame ;  that  wish  made  him  sleepless.  He 
formed  the  last  and  most  desperate  resolution  of  which  such 
a  man  under  such  circumstances  is  capable  :  —  that  of  con- 
founding all  his  enemies  by  the  splendor  of  new  military 
achievements.  Physical  suffering,  the  result  of  early  indis- 
cretions, together  with  anguish  of  mind,  darkened  his  soul. 
The  mystic  angel  had  drawn  around  him,  and  enclosed  him 
within  a  circle,  into  which  no  one  but  his  young  and  beautiful 
wife  dared  to  penetrate.  To  her  he  communicated  his  inmost 
thoughts  and  emotions  ;  and  she  approved  of  the  resolution 
which  he  had  taken,  to  enter  again  upon  the  field  of  conflict. 
He  did  not  exclaim  like  Manfried,  to  the  rocks  and  abysses  : 
"  Forgetfulness  and  oblivion  !"  But  he  cried  out  with  ardor 
and  earnestness:  "An  army  1  an  army  1  a  battle!"  And 
18*  o 


210  PUBLIC.   AND     PRIVATE     HISTORY 

thus  it  was  that  to  St.  Arnaud  the  war  in  the  Crimea  was  the 
most  fortunate  and  propitious  event  in  the  world.  It  was  the 
only  medicine  for  the  wounded  and  bleeding  heart  of  this  mar 
so  long  tossed  upon  stormy  seas,  so  often  shipwrecked,  sc 
frequently  saved  from  ruin,  so  triumphant,  and  yet  so  miser 
able.     It  was  in  truth  his  only  hope. 

Louis  Napoleon  was  both  sagacious  and  grateful.  He  saw 
precisely  the  position  of  St.  Arnaud,  and  he  resolved  that  he 
should  have  the  command  which  he  desired.  The  Army  of 
the  East  was  placed  under  his  orders. 

Before  setting  out  on  this  last  great  expedition  the  Marshal 
spent  a  short  time  in  the  distant  and  quiet  shades  of  a  small 
island  called  Hyeres,  in  the  repose  of  whose  umbrageous 
retreat  he  endeavored  to  calm  and  soothe  his  chafing  spirit. 
Here  he  accidentally  met  an  humble  and  obscure  priest,  a  man 
from  whose  breast  all  worldly  strifes  and  passions  had  been 
expelled  ;  a  man  who  felt  the  vanity  of  all  earthly  things, 
and  who  lived  alone  for  contemplation  and  for  virtue.  The 
hero  of  Algiers  formed  with  this  excellent  person  one  of  those 
short  and  sweet  friendships  which  are  so  disinterested,  Which 
are  so  rare  in  their  occurrence,  which  are  so  soothing  to  the 
afflicted  spirit,  and  which  resemble  so  much  the  ideal  and 
romantic  loves  of  youth 

"  There's  nothing  half  so  sweet  in  life 
As  love's  young  dream," 

save  friendship  such  as  this  !  The  great  soldier  and  the  pious 
priest  held  many  long  conversations  together  as  they  walked 
upon  the  shore,  and  listened  to  the  sublime  and  never-ceasing 
melody  of  old  ocean,  or  as  they  sat  beneath  the  refreshing 
shadows  of  some  leafy  bower.  As  the  cool  water  brooks  in 
a  thirsty  land  revive  the  fainting  soul  of  the  traveller,  so  the 
intelligent  and  religious  conversation  of  the  pastor  cheered 
and  purified  the  turbulent  and  vexed  spirit  of  that  famous  man 
of  war.  From  that  hour  forth  till  the  day  of  his  death,  the 
thoughts   of  God  and  of  sublimer  and  better  things   than 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  211 

earth,  were  deeply  impressed  upon  the  heart  of  St.  Arnaud. 
Such  results  sometimes  occur  in  the  singular  and  multiform 
developments  of  human  character,  amid  the  vicissitudes  of  life. 

The  Marshal  returned  to  Paris.  The  Army  of  the  East 
was  about  to  embark.  The  excitement  of  preparation  and 
command  suspended  for  a  time  his  mental  sufferings.  The 
hope  of  wiping  away  every  stain  from  his  fame  and  character 
by  great  exploits  ;  the  thought  of  engaging  and  vanquishing 
the  mighty  Muscovite  power,  upon  which  achievement  he  had 
often  meditated  in  the  still  and  starry  nights  of  his  African 
bivouacs,  inspired  him  with  great  joy  He  felt  that  his  youth 
was  again  renewed,  that  his  soul  was  quickened  and  invigo- 
rated, that  the  mental  and  physical  strength  of  manhood  had 
returned.  There  might  yet,  on  new  fields  of  glory  and  in  fresher 
wreaths  of  immortality,  be  found  happiness  for  St.  Arnaud  ! 

In  all  things  St.  Arnaud  was  destined  to  contradictions 
and  disappointments.  Scarcely  had  he  embarked  when  he 
was  seized  with  a  terrible  and  consuming  malady,  and  the 
Generalissimo  of  the  allied  armies  was  stretched  on  a  thorny 
couch,  like  a  chained  captive,  at  an  hour  when  vigilance, 
strength,  and  activity,  should  have  been  his  pre-eminent 
characteristics.  This  terrible  disease — the  ossification  of  the 
heart  —  affected  every  part  of  his  system.  Repose  was  for 
days  a  stranger  to  him.  The  pernicious  fevers  of  the  Asiatic 
frontier  of  Europe  were  added  to  this  disease ;  and  these, 
combined  with  the  remains  of  former  attacks  resulting  from 
other  causes,  produced  physical  sufferings  so  excruciating  that 
sometimes  the  strong  intellect  of  St.  Arnaud  was  overwhelmed 
by  them,  and  he  raved  with  the  paroxysms  of  madness.  At 
length  he  ceased  to  believe  in  the  impotent  power  of  medicine, 
and  he  looked  for  his  only  cure  in  the  cannon's  mouth. 

When  the  army  arrived  at  Varna  other  disappointments 
befell  the  Marshal.     The  necessary  stores  did  not  arrive  in 
time.     Strange   and   miserable    imbecility  characterized  the 
)roceedings  of  the  English  cabinet,  and  the  English  com- 
manders. The  cholera  began  to  rage  among  his  troops,  water 


212  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

was  almost  inaccessible,  and  the  calamities  of  conflagration 
increased  the  horrors  of  the  scene.     A  seventh  part  of  the 
city  of  Yarna  was  destroyed  by  fire.     With  death  working 
literally  at  his  heart,  the  heroic  Marshal   gazed  upon  the 
strange  and  appalling  spectacle  around  him.     He  wrote  to 
his  brother  on  the  9th  of  August,  1854  :   "I  am  in  the  midst 
of  a  va6t  sepulchre.     To  all  appearance  I  am  very  gay  ;  but 
in  reality  my  heart  is  broken. "     To  complete  his  misery,  he 
saw  the  Russians  retreating,  and  the  alluring  chance  of  an 
immediate  battle  and  victory  was  lost.     He  beheld  the  future 
fortunes  of  the  war  involved  more  completely  in  the  diplomatic 
web  which  the  perfidious  and  selfish  policy  of  Austria  was 
weaving  for  herself,  and  his  ardent  and  impulsive  spirit  cursed 
her  perfidy  in  no  measured  terms.     In  these   moments  his 
misfortunes  seem  almost  to  have  overwhelmed  him.    The  sweet 
dream  of  glory  which  had  sustained  and  cheered  him,  now 
appeared  to  desert  him.    His  situation  daily  became  at  Varna 
more  dreadful.    It  seemed  as  if  the  army  under  his  command, 
by  no  fault  of  his,  had  been  brought  thither  to  perish  without 
having  fought  a  single  battle.    Said  he,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend, 
"  I  study,  I  look  around  me  for  resources  and  expedients,  I 
ask  assistance  from  God  ;  but  I  recoil  with  grief  at  the  fearful 
reality."      This   reality  was   the   increasing   prevalence    of 
cholera  among  the  soldiers,  the  want  of  provisions,  the  un- 
certainty of  the  future,   and  his   own   diminishing  physical 
health.     Then  he  began  to  measure  his  strength  as  the  miser 
counts  his  gold,  when  he  sees  it  rapidly  diminishing.     He 
desired  to  make  good  use  of  his  remaining  time  in  executing 
immediate  and  decisive  measures  ;  but  he  was  hampered  and 
impeded  by  the  sluggishness,  imbecility,  and  cowardice  of 
Lord  Raglan.     He  urged  the  desirableness  and  the  certain 
success  of  his  plans  with  that  superannuated  hero  ;  and  at 
length,  after   great   exertions,    his    eloquence   succeeded    in 
infusing  into  the  council  the  necessity  of  immediately  leaving 
Varna  and  embarking  for  the  Crimea. 

The  expedition  was  resumed      As  long  as  there  was  op- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  213 

portunity  for  action  the  fever  which  burned  in  the  veins  of  St. 
Arnaud  sustained  him.  But  after  this  council  of  war,  in 
which  he  had,  with  great  effort,  carried  his  point ;  when  he 
was  alone  in  his  tent  thinking  of  his  young  wife,  his  daughter, 
his  friends,  and  France,  the  domestic  delights  of  the  fireside, 
and  the  delicious  green  fields  and  breezy  hills  of  his  own  rural 
residence,  he  exclaimed,  with  a  heart  oppressed  with  sadness 
and  anxiety  :  "  Ah,  Montalais  !  Montalais  !  when  shall  I  bury 
myself  again  in  your  sweet  retreat,  and  enjoy  in  your  delight- 
ful tranquillity,  true  happiness,  far  from  all  business  and 
mankind !  " 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1854,  the  allied  troops  disem 
barked  at  the  "  Old  Fort"  in  the  Crimea.  The  dying  Mar- 
shal, for  such  by  this  time  he  really  was,  rejoiced  at  the  pros- 
pect of  striking  one  blow  at  least  for  France  before  he  expired. 
It  was  truly  wonderful  to  observe  how  this  undaunted  hero 
deceived  the  army  as  to  his  real  condition  for  some  time 
longer,  by  his  almost  supernatural  activity.  He  passed  whole 
days  in  the  saddle.  He  hastened  every  movement  of  the 
troops.  Minutes  then  possessed  to  him  the  magnitude  and 
the  importance  of  years. 

On  the  19th  of  September  the  march  began  from  the  "  Old 
Fort."  The  army  was  drawn  up  in  the  shape  of  a  wedge; 
the  division  of  General  Canrobert  formed  the  point ;  and  the 
advance  toward  the  Alma  began.  The  allied  fleet  remained 
at  anchor,  sweeping  with  its  guns  the  position  of  the  Rus- 
sians, and  the  far-famed  marksmen  of  Finland.  The  army 
of  the  Russians  under  Prince  Menzikoff  awaited  the  approach 
of  the  Allies,  posted,  forty-five  thousand  in  number,  on  the 
rugged  heights  of  the  right  bank  of  the  Alma.  The  next  day 
the  battle  began  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  will  not 
follow  the  details  of  the  conflict.  There  had  been  long  dis- 
putes in  the  council  of  war,  on  the  preceding  night,  as  to  the 
plan  of  attack.  The  dying  Marshal  was  again  compelled  to 
encounter  all  the  obstacles  which  cowardice  and  ignorance 
had  opposed  to  his  movements  at  Varna.     Even  General 


214  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Busquet  resisted,  on  this  occasion,  the  proposed  execution  of 
that  very  rotatory  movement,  in  which  he  afterwards  won  so 
much  glory  ;  and  it  was  astonishing  to  observe  how  much 
self-command  and  clearness  of  mind  St.  Arnaud  displayed  in 
that  vexatious  council  of  war,  the  last  in  which  he  ever  took 
part. 

The  battle  was  fought  with  great  bravery,  especially  by  the 
French.  The  heroic  Zouaves  climbed,  in  the  face  of  a  sweep- 
ing fire,  abrupt  and  dizzy  heights,  where  the  chamois  could 
scarcely  find  footing.  After  the  chief  brunt  of  the  battle  had 
been  sustained  by  the  French,  the  English  came  slowly  up  to 
the  attack.  The  conflict  lasted  for  many  hours,  but  toward 
night  the  Russians  were  completely  routed,  and  were  dis- 
lodged from  every  position.  Had  he  possessed  the  command 
of  sufficient  cavalry  St.  Arnaud  would  have  pursued  the  van- 
quished to  the  gates  of  Sevastopol,  and  the  war  might  have 
been  ended  with  one  blow.  But  in  this  purpose  his  ardent 
spirit,  consuming  itself  with  its  last  expiring  fury,  was  over- 
ruled.    Lord  Raglan  again  interfered. 

St.  Arnaud  encamped  that  night  in  the  midst  of  the  dying 
and  the  dead,  on  the  field  of  glory  which  his  own  valor  had 
won.  Extended  on  the  ground,  on  some  hay,  and  covered 
with  a  military  cloak,  he  passed  a  night  of  agony  and  exhaus- 
tion. Such  immense  ravages  had  disease  made  on  his  person 
thit  he  was  scarcely  recognizable.  The  array  remained  three 
days  without  advancing,  in  opposition  to  his  wishes.  At 
length  when  the  camp  was  pitched  near  "  Makenzie's  farm" 
he  was  attacked  with  cholera,  and  his  condition  became  de 
plorable  in  the  extreme.  He  found  his  strength  utterly  fail- 
ing, and  he  was  compelled  to  resign  his  command  to  some 
successor.  Surrounded  by  his  friends  and  staff  he  prepared 
to  transmit  an  order  to  the  oldest  general  of  division  in  the 
army,  conferring  on  him  the  authority  of  commander-in-chief, 
when  an  officer,  who  had  been  slightly  wounded  at  Alma  six 
days  before,  approached  him  and  handed  him  a  sealed  letter 
This  letter  the  officer  had  carried  from  the  beginning  of  the 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  215 

campaign.  In  it  the  Emperor  of  the  French  gave  to  him  the 
commaud  of  the  French  army,  in  case  of  the  death  or  resig- 
nation of  St.  Arnaud.  That  officer  was  General  Canrobert. 
The  veteran  warrior  at  once  obeyed  the  imperial  will.  He 
next  bade  adieu  to  the  army.  He  rode  through  the  ranks  in 
an  open  carriage,  wrapped  in  his  pelisse,  with  a  Turkish  cap 
on  his  head,  reclining  on  cushions,  faint,  emaciated,  and  dy- 
ing. The  soldiers  left  their  ranks,  crowded  around  the  car- 
riage, and  wept.  He  extended  his  hand  to  them  ;  and  as 
many  of  the  impetuous  Zouaves  as  could  touch  it,  kissed  it. 
After  this  Lord  Raglan,  General  Canrobert,  and  General 
Busquet,  visited  him  in  his  tent,  and  bade  him  farewell.  He 
was  thence  removed  to  one  of  the  vessels  riding  at  anchor  in 
the  bay.  There  he  immediately  received  the  last  sacraments 
of  religion  from  a  Catholic  priest ;  and  he  rapidly  sank  from 
day  to  day,  until  at  last  his  eyes  were  closed  in  death,  "  as 
calmly  as  flowers  at  set  of  sun,"  on  the  29th  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1854. 

Such  was  the  life  and  such  the  death  of  Marshal  St. 
Arnaud  ;  a  man  of  great  talents,  and  of  strong  and  ungo- 
vernable passions  ;  whose  youth  was  spent  in  turbulent  vice  ; 
whose  riper  years  were  devoted  to  the  attainment  of  military 
glory ;  who  rose  at  last  to  the  first  rank  in  his  profession ; 
who  was  the  most  efficient  support  and  instrument  of  Louis 
Napoleon  in  attaining  supreme  power ;  and  whose  whole  life 
and  most  brilliant  achievements  were  all  tarnished  and  em- 
bittered by  those  early  excesses,  whose  stigma  and  whose 
curse  followed  him  implacably  to  the  grave  1  He  was  the 
military  Mirabeau  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 


216  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

General  Canrobert — His  peculiar  Genius  —  His  remarkable  Activity 
and  Vigilance  —  His  personal  Appearance  —  His  Birth  and  Youth — ■ 
His  Exploits  in  Algiers — His  conduct  in  the  Crimea — He  succeeds 
St.  Arnaud  to  the  Chief  Command  —  Lord  Radeliffe  —  Difficulties  of 
Canrobert's  position — He  resigns  the  Chief  Command — Is  the  victim 
of  Diplomacy — His  Mission  to  Sweden — A  Greek  Myth — The  future 
of  Canrobert  and  Pelissier. 

General  Canrobert,  who  succeeded  St.  Arnaud  in  the 
command  of  the  French  army  in  the  Crimea,  was  a  man  not 
unworthy  of  the  high  post  to  which  the  discernment  and  the 
partiality  of  Louis  Napoleon '  advanced  him.  His  nature 
was  essentially  sympathetic  and  generous ;  his  intellect  ex- 
ceedingly prompt,  energetic,  and  penetrating.  He  differed 
from  his  predecessor  in  one  great  feature,  that  he  never 
wished  merely  to  play  a  part,  or  to  seem  a  hero  ;  but  he  aimed 
at  being  what  honor  and  duty  impelled  him  to  seem.  He  was 
very  affable  and  accessible  to  the  soldiers ;  and  possessed  a 
happy  originality  of  manner  in  his  addresses  to  them,  which 
riveted  their  attention,  and  won  their  applause.  Thus  on 
one  occasion  addressing  the  calvary,  he  said  to  them  :  "  You 
are  living  balls,  which  I  throw  when  and  where  I  please." 
Hence  he  soon  became  the  favorite  of  the  army.  After  their 
return  from  the  Crimea,  Canrobert,  who  had  preceded  them, 
was  ordered  by  the  Emperor  to  repair  to  Lyons,  and  meet 
them  there.  As  soon  as  the  Crimean  veterans  beheld  him 
they  shouted  with  joy  :  "  There  he  is  ;  there  is  our  father  !" 

This  title  Canrobert  had  deserved  by  his  conduct  at  Se- 
vastopol. During  the  winter  which  preceded  the  fall  of  that 
great  fortress,  he  had  displayed  the  utmost  solicitude  for  the 
comfort  of  his  men.  He  endeavored  assiduously  to  pave  the 
way  to  future  victory  by  sustaining  the  moral  courage  of 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  217 

trooj  s  already  exhausted  by  famine,  exposure  and  pestilence. 
He  was  constantly  on  duty.  He  was  always  serving  at  the 
trenches.  He  proved  by  his  bold  and  daring  deportment 
that  he  entertained  more  solicitude  for  the  lives  of  others, 
than  he  did  for  his  own.  He  was  the  Lannes  of  the  French 
army  in  the  Crimea. 

In  person  Marshal  Canrobert  resembles  a  village  beadle. 
His  figure  is  not  large,  and  the  peculiar  feature  of  his  face 
is  a  small,  round,  up-turned  nose.  No  one  would  ever  ima- 
gine from  his  appearance  that  he  was  one  of  the  most  able 
and  brilliant  military  men  in  Europe.  His  bravery  was  almost 
fabulous,  and  he  seemed  to  pass  through  a  shower  of  balls  and 
bullets  as  an  actor  does  through  the  sham  fights  of  the  theatre. 
His  whole  history  proves  that  he  has  always  been  a  favorite 
of  fortune.  Every  dynasty  in  France  has  had  its  eminent 
military  leaders.  Thus  under  Louis  Philippe,  Marshal 
Bugeaud  was  the  popular  hero.  Under  the  Republic  there 
were  Lamoriciere,  Changarnier,  and  Cavaignac  ;  and  under 
Louis  Napoleon,  Busquet  and  Canrobert  have  inherited  the 
glory  and  the  power  of  their  predecessors. 

Marshal  Canrobert  was  born  in  1810.  In  1828  he  left  St. 
Cyr  as  a  sub-lieutenant ;  two  years  afterward  he  obtained  a 
slight  promotion,  and  was  then  sent  to  Algiers.  That  country 
is  the  classic  land  which  for  twenty  years  has  been  the  nursery 
of  French  generals  and  heroes.  It  is  an  excellent  field  for 
the  development  of  physical  strength,  and  for  the  exhibition 
of  multiform  bravery ;  but  it  has  been  asserted  that  that  war  of 
thickets,  and  those  skirmishes  with  an  enemy  who  were  as 
quiet  as  a  reptile,  was  not  a  scene  propitious  for  the  develop- 
ment of  military  genius.  Nevertheless,  such  as  the  war  was, 
Canrobert  distinguished  himself  by  his  skill  and  daring  on  many 
occasions.  At  the  storming  of  Hemsen  he  received  the  brevet 
of  Captain.  In  1850  he  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  General 
of  brigade.  In  1853  he  was  made  General  of  division.  In 
that  year  Louis  Napoleon  appointed  Canrobert  his  aid-de- 
camp. He  had  formed  a  very  high  estimate  of  the  bravery, 
19 


218  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  capacity  and  the  fidelity  of  the  General ;  and  moreover 
esteemed  him  as  a,  fortunate  man.  Such  men  the  Emperor 
has  always  attached  to  himself,  having  faith  in  their  star. 
He  avoids  unfortunate  men,  however  talented  and  meritorious 
they  may  be,  although  he  himself  for  many  years  was  con- 
stantly and  pre-eminently  the  victim  of  misfortune. 

The  chief  exploit  of  Canrobert  in  Africa  was  his  celebrated 
retreat  from  Bonsaada.  In  that  achievement  he  was  sur- 
rounded and  blockaded  by  an  overwhelming  force.  The 
plague  also  infested  his  ranks,  yet  he  succeeded  in  escaping 
safely  by  the  employment  of  a  skilful  stratagem,  and  released 
his  weak  detachment  from  their  perilous  position  without  any 
serious  loss. 

When  General  Canrobert  arrived  at  the  Crimea,  he  was 
heralded  by  quite  a  distinguished  reputation.  Called,  very 
soon  after  the  opening  of  these  tremendous  conflicts,  to  assume 
the  chief  command,  his  conduct  exhibited  from  the  first  the 
utmost  energy,  capacity,  aud  forethought.  His  arrangement 
of  the  campaign  was  adroit  and  skilful,  and  his  personal  con- 
duct everywhere  was  intrepid  in  the  extreme.  He  was 
wounded  both  at  Inkermann  and  at  the  Alma.  During  the 
long  and  desperate  siege  of  Sevastopol,  his  soldiers,  exposed 
to  the  rigors  of  winter,  to  the  ravages  of  disease,  and  to  the 
constant  fire  of  the  Russians  from  their  batteries,  would  have 
perished  by  thousands  and  myriads,  had  not  his  solicitude  for 
their  welfare,  and  his  admirable  prudence  and  energy  inter- 
posed. His  vigilance  was  remarkable.  At  the  first  sound 
of  the  guns  of  the  Russians,  whether  in  day-time  or  the  night, 
he  mounted  his  horse  ;  he  dispatched  his  aids-de-camp  every- 
where ;  he  visited  in  person  the  scene  of  danger ;  he  superin- 
tended every  movement ;  and  he  remained  with  his  troops 
until  the  conflict  was  ended.  His  return  to  his  tent,  after 
such  scenes,  drew  forth  the  enthusiasm  of  his  soldiers,  and 
huzzas  in  his  honor  often  resounded  from  one  end  of  the 
French  lines  to  the  other. 

During  the  progress  of  the  siege  Lord  Radcliffe  was  sent 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  2*9 

by  the  British  government  to  visit  Sevastopol,  and  examine 
the  camp  of  the  Allies.  In  the  execution  of  his  researches 
he  stopped  at  the  tent  of  Caurobert.  Scarcely  had  they  com- 
menced to  converse  when  the  sudden  thunder  of  the  distant 
cannon  of  the  Russians  resounded  over  the  plain.  Several 
aids-de-camp  immediately  entered  for  orders.  Canrobert 
rose  from  his  seat,  told  Lord  Radcliffe  that  the  enemy  had 
commenced  a  sortie,  and  that  he  must  mount  his  horse  and 
visit  the  scene  of  conflict.  The  English  ambassador  expressed 
a  desire  to  accompany  the  French  commander.  The  latter 
instantly  acquiesced,  and  the  horses  were  ordered.  They 
rode  together  to  the  battle-field,  and  continued  their  conversa- 
tion almost  under  the  Russian  batteries  ;  but  Lord  Radcliffe 
could  not  discover  any  of  the  troops  of  the  Allies,  though  he 
saw  plainly  that  the  artillery  swept  the  trenches,  that  clouds 
of  dust  and  smoke  were  rising  from  the  ravines,  and  he  heard 
loud  echoes  reverberating  from  the  rocks.  ,:  It  is  not  pos- 
sible," said  Lord  Radcliffe,  "that  our  soldiers  are  fighting 
in  those  hollows. "  Canrobert  replied  :  "These  ravines,  my 
lord,  are  our  battle-fields  ;  and  it  is  proper  that  I  should  par- 
ticularly call  the  attention  of  a  visitor  like  yourself  to  the 
singular  and  unfortunate  position  in  which  our  diplomatists 
have  placed  these  brave  soldiers.  They  fight  under  the  most 
desperate  disadvantages  ever  known  in  the  history  of  war- 
fare."  Lord  Radcliffe  could  not  but  admit  the  truth  of  the 
assertion. 

When  General  Canrobert  was  entrusted  with  the  supreme 
command,  he  found  not  only  those  perplexing  questions  of 
diplomacy  which  had  so  much  embarrassed  St.  Arnaud,  en- 
tangling and  confining  himself;  but  he  met  with  other  annoy- 
ances to  which  his  predecessor  had  been  a  stranger.  His 
former  companions  were  now  his  subordinates  ;  and  his  sud- 
den elevation  above  them  wounded  their  self-love.  The  rigor- 
ous mechanism  and  discipline  of  the  military  hierarchy  does 
not  permit  the  least  resistance  to  be  made  to  these  changes 
and  promotions.     The  chief  difficulty  of  this  description  Can- 


220  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

robert  encountered  with  the  haughty  veteran  of  Waterloo  who 
commanded  the  British  forces.  Lord  Raglan  felt  and  exhi- 
bited great  repugnance  to  act  as  an  equal  in  authority  with  a 
young  general,  so  recently  his  inferior.  The  consequence  was 
that  for  a  time,  the  unity  of  strength  was  broken,  and  great 
delays  ensued.  The  same  disadvantages  resulted  which,  as 
Homer  relates,  followed  the  quarrels  of  the  Greek  princes 
around  the  walls  and  fortresses  of  the  ancient  city  of  Priam. 
The  magnanimity  of  General  Canrobert  made  every  effort  to 
overcome  and  dissipate  this  feeling  on  the  part  of  Lord 
Raglan.  He  was  convinced  indeed,  as  was  Omer  Pacha, 
that  by  stopping  at  Sevastopol  the  Allies  were  only  singeing 
the  hair  of  the  Russian  bear ;  but  the  diplomatists  had  con- 
trived and  decreed  that  it  should  be  so,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  submit.  The  difficulties  between  the  two  allied  comman- 
ders increased,  until  at  length  co-operation  became  impos- 
sible. Canrobert  then  offered  to  resign  to  the  intractable 
Raglan  the  entire  direction  of  the  operations.  The  proposal 
was  accepted  ;  but  Lord  Raglan  immediately  determined  on 
such  measures  as  rendered  a  rupture  between  the  two  armies 
and  their  generals  inevitable.  Canrobert,  rather  than  increase 
the  difficulty,  resigned  the  chief  command  entirely,  requesting 
the  Emperor  to  appoint  Marshal  Pelissier  in  his  place.  His 
request  was  complied  with  ;  although  Louis  Napoleon  would 
have  preferred  General  Busquet  as  incumbent  of  that  post. 

General  Canrobert,  when  again  placed  at  the  head  of  his  divi- 
sion, conducted  himself  with  the  same  ability  and  energy  which 
had  always  characterized  him.  He  had  been  made  the  victim 
of  the  politic  maxim  of  the  Austrian  cabinet,  who  professed 
to  contract  and  localize  the  war,  and  who  entertained  the 
selfish  and  ambitious  design  of  acting  as  the  mediatrix  between 
the  contending  nations  of  a  continent.  Canrobert  was  de- 
feated by  the  intrigues  of  Lord  John  Russel  and  Druin  de 
L'Huys,  and  made  a  sacrifice  to  the  alliance  between  England 
and  France. 

But  as  is  his  invariable  oustoin,  the  Emperor  Napoleon  was 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  221 

faithful  to  his  devoted  servant,  and  two  months  after  his  resig- 
nation of  the  chief  command  he  bestowed  upon  him  the  baton 
of  a  marshal ;  thus  raising  him  to  the  highest  rank  in  the 
military  hierarchy. 

After  his  return  from  the  Crimea,  Marshal  Canrobert  was 
dispatched  upon  a  diplomatic  mission  to  Sweden,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  the  hand  of  the  fair  Princess  Vasa  in  mar- 
riage for  the  Emperor  of  the  French.  It  is  a  circumstance 
illustrative  of  the  tangled  involutions  of  the  web  of  European 
politics,  and  especially  of  that  Gordian  knot  known  as  the 
Eastern  Question,  that  the  influence  and  intrigues  of  Russia 
at  the  Court  of  Stockholm,  prevented  the  Marshal  from  con- 
ducting the  blooming  Swedish  princess  to  the  nuptial  bed 
now  occupied  by  the  beautiful  Countess  de  Teba.  What  con- 
sequences might  have  ensued  to  the  future  destinies  of  France 
and  Europe  had  the  Swedish  match  been  consummated,  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  predict.  The  Empress  Eugenie  had 
most  excellent  reasons  for  receiving  the  visit  of  the  Russian 
Grand  Duke  Constantine  at  the  Court  of  the  Tuilleries  in 
1857,  with  the  utmost  cordiality  and  the  most  magnificent 
hospitality. 

General  Pelissier  was  the  most  fortunate  of  all  the  Gene- 
rals who  combatted  in  the  Crimean  war.  He  succeeded  in 
reducing  Sevastopol,  and  in  eventually  accomplishing  the 
purpose  of  the  Allies.  Lord  Raglan  fell  a  victim  to  the 
cholera ;  and  like  St.  Arnaud,  he  never  saw  the  conclusion 
of  the  conflict.  If  the  myth  of  the  ancient  Greeks  were 
true,  that  in  the  future  existence  there  are  eternal  groves  be- 
neath whose  fragrant  shades  the  illustrious  dead  are  permitted 
to  wander,  what  sad  and  affecting  confidences  would  pass 
between  the  souls  of  Lord  Raglan  and  St.  Arnaud,  in  those 
peaceful  Elysian  realms,  respecting  the  stormy  and  anxious 
scenes  in  the  midst  of  which  they  both  took  their  departure 
from  the  world  ! 

Since  the  conclusion  of  the  war  in  the  Crimea,  Marshals 
Canrobert  and  Pelissier  have  both  enjoyed  the  favor  of  the 
19* 


222  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Emperor  of  the  French  ;  and  they  now  repose  upon  their 
hardly-earned  laurels,  in  the  midst  of  scenes  of  courtly  mag- 
nificence ;  their  names  are  inseparably  identified  with  great 
historical  events ;  and  their  fortunes  and  reputations  are 
placed  upon  a  secure  and  brilliant  elevation.  It  is  scarcely 
probable  that  they  will  ever  be  called  upon  to  enter  the  field 
of  battle  again,  or  to  lead  the  French  armies  to  conquest  and 
glory  in  future  years.  Yet  should  such  an  emergency  occur, 
it  may  reasonably  be  inferred  that  the  names  of  Pelissier, 
Canrobert,  and  Busquet,  will  re-appear  in  connection  with  ex- 
ploits which  will  invest  them  with  brighter  lustre,  and  add  re- 
newed freshness  to  those  laurels  which  the  progress  of  time 
may  have  faded  and  withered. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  223 


CHAPTER  XV. 

The  great  rival  of  Louis  Napoleon  —  Marshal  Bugeaud's  estimate  of 
Cavaignac —  A  better  Estimate  of  him  —  His  conduct  as  Dictator  of 
France — Cavaignac's  Birth  and  Early  History — He  makes  the  Cam- 
paign of  the  Morea — Policy  of  Louis  Philippe — Cavaignac  is  sent  to 
Algiers — His  Bravery  and  Ability  there — The  Revolution  of  1848  in 
France — The  Provisional  Government  appoint  him  Governor-General 
of  Algiers — He  declines  the  office  of  Minister  of  War — Resentment 
of  the  Provisional  Government — He  accepts  the  post  of  Minister  of 
War  from  the  Republic — The  Downfall  of  the  Executive  Commission 
—  Cavaignac  appointed  Dictator  of  France  —  His  Cabinet  —  Results 
of  his  Measures  —  Louis  Napoleon  elected  President  —  Subsequent 
Insignificance  of  Cavaignac — He  is  arrested  at  the  Coup  d'Etat  — 
Conduct  of  Mademoiselle  Odier — Correspondence  between  Cavaignac 
and  De  Morny  —  Cavaignac's  release  from  Prison  —  His  Marriage  to 
Mdlle.  Odier  —  His  subsequent  Obscurity  —  His  Death. 

There  was  a  man  in  France  possessing  remarkable  qualities 
and  great  eminence,  both  as  a  soldier  and  as  a  statesman ; 
who  was  the  chief  rival  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  his  am- 
bitious pathway ;  who  on  several  critical  occasions  stood 
between  him  and  the  possession  of  supreme  power ;  and  who 
was  the  rallying  point  and  the  hope  of  a  large  and  influ- 
ential party  in  France,  who  patiently  await  the  hour  which 
will  bring  about  the  downfall  of  the  second  empire.  That 
man  was  Eugene  Cavaignac. 

Marshal  Bugeaud  said  of  him,  about  the  period  of  the 
sortie  of  Tlemsen  in  Algiers,  that  he  was  an  ardent,  well- 
trained  officer,  capable  of  intense  devotion,  possessed  of  su- 
perior talents,  adapted  to  great  things  ;  and  that,  if  he  lived, 
he  would  one  day  achieve  distinction.  This  judgment  of  the 
Marshal  respecting  Cavaignac  needed  only  one  restriction  to 
make  it  perfectly  correct.     He  should  have  added  :  provided 


224  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Cavaignac  remained  in  the  military  profession,  and  did  nat 
venture  into  politics.  For  to  govern  a  great  and  fickle 
people  like  the  French,  other  qualities  are  requisite  beside 
zeal,  talent,  ardor,  knowledge,  and  decision  ;  for  these  were  all 
the  mental  gifts  which  Cavaignac  possessed.  Reaching  the 
Dictatorship  by  means  of  a  vast  expenditure  of  blood,  he 
perceived,  when  it  was  too  late,  that  a  man  may  be  a  bad 
statesman,  though  an  excellent  general  of  division.  At 
least,  he  never  understood  the  cause  of  his  own  inefficiency  ; 
and  wasted  in  a  barren  and  unprofitable  struggle,  which  pro- 
cured him  no  accession  of  glory,  all  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
National  Guards  and  all  the  resources  of  the  Treasury.  The 
laurel  wreath  which  surrounded  his  brow  as  Dictator,  was 
stained  with  the  blood  of  a  civil  war. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  General  Cavaignac  would, 
at  one  time,  have  sacrificed  unhesitatingly  all  his  dreams  of 
ambition  for  the  good  of  the  Republic.  Not  that  he  was  a 
Republican  more  than  anything  else  ;  for  he  was  destitute  of  a 
fixed  political  faith  ;  he  was  irresolute,  vacillating,  and  better 
acquainted  with  Algiers  than  he  was  with  France  ;  he  had  no 
historical  acquaintance  with  the  past,  and  no  talent  for 
government ;  he  simply  felt  a  desire  to  possess  the  supreme 
power,  and,  aided  by  a  variety  of  accidental  circumstances, 
it  was  placed  in  his  hands.  But  the  moment  he  saw  the 
sceptre  in  his  grasp  he  felt  incompetent  to  wield  it,  and  was 
utterly  ignorant  how  he  should  exercise  his  authority.  He 
concluded  to  act  violently  in  a  country  which  needed  concilia- 
tion above  all  things  else,  and  to  apply  the  laws  and  regula- 
tions of  the  barracks  to  a  Legislative  Assembly  composed  of 
talented,  excited,  and  desperate  adventurers.  He  acted  while 
Dictator  as  if  he  believed  that  good  order  could  not  be  main- 
tained in  France  except  by  a  system  of  rigor  which  debased 
human  nature,  and  degraded  the  genius  of  a  nation.  Thus, 
whenever  a  man  undertakes  a  task  for  which  he  is  incompetent, 
he  plunges  into  an  abyss,  and  he  drags  with  him  into  its  fatal 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  225 

depths,  the  nation,  the  party,  or  the  family,  who  had  been 
unfortunate  enough  to  select  him  as  their  leader. 

Eugene  Cavaignac,  to  whom  alone  of  all  Frenchmen 
belonged  the  honor  of  having  possessed  a  Dictatorship  iD 
France,  not  only  in  reality  but  also  in  name  —  was  born  a' 
Paris,  in  October,  1802.  He  was  the  younger  brother  of  God 
frey  Cavaignac — a  name  whose  memory  will  always  be  che 
rished  by  French  Republicans.  There  are  some  persons  who, 
from  their  birth,  are  consecrated  to  some  particular  profession, 
such  as  the  church  or  the  camp.  By  all  his  family  associations 
Eugene  Cavaignac  was  devoted  from  his  youth  to  Demo- 
cracy. This  was  his  misfortune,  for  nature  in  no  respect  had 
designed  him  for  political  life.  As  an  advocate  or  as  an 
editor  he  might  have  attained  some  little  distinction.  As  a 
statesman  he  could  never  have  become  really  illustrious. 

Iu  his  youth,  in  1820,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Polytechnic 
School  of  Paris.  He  was  not  distinguished  by  superior 
talents  or  attainments  while  a  student.  He  remained  in  that 
institution  during  two  years.  He  left  it  as  a  sub-lieutenant  to 
enter  the  Military  School  of  Metz.  Here  he  remained  three 
years.  In  1826  he  attained  the  rank  of  Lieutenant.  In 
1828  he  made  the  campaign  of  the  Morea.  France,  now  so 
firmly  allied  to  Turkey  was,  at  that  time,  and  in  that  conflict, 
the  friend  of  Greece.  Russia  had  not  yet  unmasked  her  real 
purposes.  The  Greeks  were  fighting  for  freedom,  for  a  glo- 
rious country ;  and  a  patriotic  young  officer  like  Cavaignac 
could  not  look  upon  such  a  struggle  without  interest.  After 
the  conclusion  of  the  conflict  in  Greece  he  returned  to  France  ; 
and  when  the  revolution  of  1830  broke  forth,  Cavaignac 
hoped,  along  with  thousands  of  others,  that  the  era  of  a  true 
Republic  in  France  had  at  last  arrived.  They  soon  discovered 
their  error,  and  found  that  the  elevation  of  the  "  money-bag- 
king, "  Louis  Philippe,  was  the  signal  for  the  advancement 
of  the  interests  of  the  middle  classes,  or  the  Bourgeoisie. 
The  French  monarch  was  only  the  head  and  chief  of  the  two 
hundred   and   twenty-two   thousand    "copy-holders   of    the 

P 


226  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

electoral   system,"  which   was   destroyed   in    1848.     Louis 
Philippe  patronized  the  middle  classes,  and  endeavored  to 
promote  their  interests  at  the  expense  of  the  nation,  because 
he  hated  the  high  aristocracy,  inasmuch  as  many  of  them 
were  impoverished,  and  because  they  regarded  the  Orleans 
dynasty  as  an  illegitimate  upstart ;  and  he  hated  the  masses 
because  they  were  poor  and  vulgar,  because  he  feared  them, 
and  because  he  could  not  extort  much  money  from  them.    He 
was  enough  of  an  aristocrat  himself  to  despise  those  who  were 
ignobly  born  ;  and  he  was  also  conscious  that  the  rabble,  the 
working  classes,  as  he  termed  them,  would  more  strictly  hold 
him  to  an  account  for  the  way  in  which  he  redeemed  the  solemn 
pledges  with  which  he  ascended  the  throne  of  the  barricades. 
It  was  the  adroit  policy  of  Louis  Philippe  to  send  such 
military  Republicans  as  Cavaignac  to  Algiers.     They  could 
there  find  an  outlet  for  their  ardor  which  did  not  endanger 
the  stability  of  his  throne.     In  Algiers  Cavaignac  passed  the 
most  creditable  period  of  his  life.     There  he  exhibited  great 
talents.     On  the  battle-field  he  displayed  extraordinary  intel- 
ligence, fortitude,  and   activity.     He   frequently  astonished 
military  veterans  like  Marshal  Bugeaud  by  the  rare  combina- 
tion of  his  soldier-like  qualities.     He  was  left  by  Marshal 
Clausel  with  a  handful  of  soldiers  in  Tlemsen.    This  Arabian 
town  was  situated  in  the  desert  like  an  island  in  the  midst  of 
the  ocean.     Hosts  of  hostile  Arabs  hovered  around  it.     Cut 
off  from  all  communication  with  the  French  army,  with  no 
hope  of  an  accession  of  men  or  of  ammunition,  the  little  gar- 
rison was  compelled,  at  one  and  the  same  time,  to  repel  the 
attacks  of  the  enemy  without,  and  to  curb  the  movements  of 
a  hostile  population  within.     During  eighteen  months  this 
state  of  things  continued,   and,  notwithstanding  the  extra- 
ordinary difficulties  of  his  position,  Cavaignac  succeeded  in 
keeping  the  town,  in  conciliating  the  inhabitants,  in  building 
hospitals  and  barracks.     In  the  final  triumph  of  the  French 
arms,  which  eventually  made  Algiers  an  unresisting  province 
and  appendage  of  France,  General  Cavaignac  bore  a  dis- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  227 

tinguished  part.  He  was  the  commander  of  the  corps  of  the 
Zouaves  —  soldiers  whose  peculiar  merits  were  not  then  so 
universally  known,  but  which  the  memorable  scenes  of  the 
Crimea  have  fully  and  amply  illustrated.  In  April,  1840, 
he  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Cherchell,  which  lasted  during 
the  immense  period  of  twelve  days,  and  then  he  received  a 
severe  and  dangerous  wound  in  the  thigh.  In  August,  1841, 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Colonel.  In  September, 
1844,  he  received  his  commission  as  General  of  Brigade. 
The  adventurous  soldier  was  destined  to  attain  the  loftiest 
summit  of  the  military  hierarchy. 

When  the  heroic  Abd-el-Kader,  as  a  last  resort  to  save  his 
falling  country,  proclaimed  a  "holy  war"  against  the  French, 
Cavaignac  may  be  said  to  have  begun  a  battle  which  con- 
tinued till  March,  1846.  The  expedition  to  the  Atlas,  a  hun- 
dred leagues  from  Tlemsen,  was  followed  by  the  final  submis- 
sion of  the  Arabs,  and  by  the  capture  of  their  celebrated 
chief.  Cavaignac  was  appointed  in  the  place  of  General  La- 
moriciere  as  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Oran.  In  this 
office  he  vigorously  prosecuted  the  plans  of  military  coloniza- 
tion which  Marshal  Bugeaud  had  begun  at  Orleansville. 

The  revolution  of  1848  suddenly  changed  Cavaignac 's 
whole  career.  He  was  then  forty-six  years  of  age.  He 
had  served  his  country  with  honor  and  success.  But  he 
longed  for  influence  and  power  at  the  centre  and  seat  of  both. 
The  day  after  the  downfall  of  the  throne  of  Louis  Philippe, 
he  started  for  Paris  in  company  with  Changarnier  and  La- 
moriciere.  He  exclaimed,  when  he  first  heard  of  the  king's 
flight:  "In  six  months  France  will  be  ruled  by  Henry  V." 
Fifteen  years  before,  Cavaignac  would  have  enthusiastically 
saluted  the  young  republic,  which  he  had  so  many  causes  to 
admire  and  defend. 

In  proportion  as  Cavaignac  ascended  in  the  military  hier- 
archy, his  attachment  to  Democracy  became  more  and  more 
feeble  ;  until  at  last  he  maintained  the  slightest  show  of  re- 
gard for  it  only  through  a  third  party.    Madame  Cavaignac, 


228  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  mother  of  the  General,  was  the  chain  which  bound  him 
to  his  unwilling  allegiance  to  the  Republic.  Yet  the  Provi- 
sional Government  of  1848  bestowed  on  him  the  grade  of 
General  of  Division,  and  promoted  him  to  the  important  and 
distinguished  post  of  Governor-General  of  Algeria.  Chan- 
garnier  did  not  willingly  resign  his  office  to  the  successor  ap- 
pointed by  the  Provisional  Government.  He  rudely  dis- 
pensed with  the  forms  which  common  courtesy  and  ordinary 
usage  required,  as  being  due  to  a  new  governor.  He  even 
insulted  Cavaignac  by  ascribing  his  promotion  to  the  chief 
authority  in  Algiers,  in  a  proclamation  which  he  issued  on 
his  retirement,  solely  to  the  regard  entertained  for  the  memory 
of  his  brother.  Cavaignac  was  too  politic  to  resent  these 
galling  indignities. 

;No  sooner  was  he  elevated  to  the  administration  of  Algiers, 
than  he  began  to  exhibit  his  total  incapacity  for  the  science 
of  government.  His  first  act  was  to  remove  from  its  pedestal 
the  statue  of  the  deceased  Duke  of  Orleans,  whose  amiable 
disposition  and  whose  unfortunate  death  had  left  in  France  a 
sad  and  sympathetic  remembrance.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
town  of  Algiers  were  indignant  at  this  outrage  on  the  che- 
rished memory  of  the  dead  ;  and  Cavaignac  was  compelled  or 
constrained  to  restore  the  statue  to  its  former  place.  This 
conduct  indicated  the  most  pitiable  irresolution  ;  but  it  was 
soon  followed  by  another  act  still  more  absurd  and  pusillani- 
mous. He  was  induced  to  assist  at  the  solemn  elevation  of 
a  red  Jacobin  bonnet  on  the  summit  of  a  tree  of  Liberty.  This 
republican  emblem  produced  on  the  Orleanist  population  of 
Algeria  the  same  effect  which  a  scarecrow  would  cause  upon  a 
company  of  children.  Overcome  by  the  public  derision,  Ca- 
vaignac ordered  the  symbol  of  the  Republic  to  be  removed. 
This  additional  act  of  indecision  had  its  influence  upon  the 
public  mind  in  Algeria  ;  and  considerably  diminished  the  re- 
spect which  the  military  achievements  of  the  Governor-General 
had  formerly  obtained  for  him. 

On  the  20th  of  March  the  Provisional  Government  at  Paris 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  229 

nominated  General  Cavaignac  to  the  post  of  Minister  of  War. 
But  he  declined  the  proffered  honor.  Had  he  been  a  sincere 
republican  he  would  not  have  hesitated  to  accept  it.  But  he 
had  no  confidence  in  the  stability  of  the  Provisional  Govern- 
ment ;  and  he  feared  that,  if  he  resigned  his  post  in  Algeria, 
when  the  republic  fell,  he  would  fall  with  it,  and  would  be 
overwhelmed  in  its  total  ruin.  The  certain  and  secure  pos- 
session of  the  government  of  Algeria  was  a  more  desirable 
position,  than  the  insecure  and  probably  transient  honors 
which  clustered  around  the  office  of  Minister  of  War  for 
France.  The  Provisional  Government  were  highly  offended 
at  this  refusal  of  the  General.  The  public  at  once  drew  the 
inference  that  the  government  of  February  was  tottering  on 
its  basis,  else  Cavaignac  would  have  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment. The  Provisional  Government  expressed  their  indig- 
nation at  his  conduct  in  a  bitter  and  sarcastic  letter.  After 
the  Republic  was  proclaimed,  however,  he  accepted  on  the 
17th  of  May  the  same  office  which  he  had  previously  declined 
on  the  20th  of  March.  The  reason  was  that  the  Republic 
seemed  to  him  to  be  a  more  permanent  and  responsible  insti- 
tution ;  or  at  least  it  appeared  to  be  one,  a  connection  with 
which  would  promote  his  future  advancement  to  power. 

He  was  then  also  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the 
troops  charged  with  the  protection  of  the  National  Assem- 
bly. Confusion  began  to  reign  in  France,  that  same  confu- 
sion which  terminated  at  last  by  the  memorable  coup  d'etat 
of  the  2d  of  December.  An  Executive  Commission  had  been 
selected  to  administer  the  government,  consisting  of  La- 
martine,  Arago,  Ledru  Rollin,  Marrast,  and  Gamier  Pag<§s. 
This  Commission  was  still  too  republican  in  their  sentiments 
to  please  the  temper  of  the  National  Assembly.  Despised 
by  tl/e  Assembly  and  hated  by  the  people,  the  only  safety  of 
the  Commission  would  have  been  in  their  unity;  but  an  insane 
personal  ambition  overcame  every  other  consideration,  and 
divided  their  forces.  Their  downfall  was  inevitable.  Gene- 
ral Cavaignac  at  that  moment  represented  in  his  own  person 
20 


230  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  opposing  power  in  the  State.  Affairs  were  approaching 
a  decisive  crisis,  and  soon  one  or  the  other  of  these  rivals  — 
the  Commission  or  Cavaignac,  the  civil  or  the  military  Dic- 
tatorship must  triumph,  and  absorb  all  power  to  itself. 

The  destruction  of  the   "  National  Workshops"  was  the 
signal  for  the  commencement  of  the  struggle.     At  this  period 
the  prospects  of  Louis  Napoleon  for  the  attainment  of  su- 
preme power  had  not  yet  become  flattering  or  even  obtrusive. 
His  countless  agents  were  then  at  work  secretly  throughout 
the  provinces,  preparing  the  way  for  his  future  success.     At 
length,  the  workmen  who  have  been  deprived  of  their  sub- 
sistence by  the  destruction  of  the  public  workshops,  crowded 
the  streets  of  Paris,  and  the  air  resounded  with  countless  yells 
of  "  work  or  bread. "    The  people  were  utterly  dissatisfied  with 
the  Assembly  and  with  the  Executive  Commission.     A  pro- 
position was  then  made  to  Cavaignac,  the  military  chief  of 
France,  by  a  committee  of  three,  at  the  head  of  whom  was 
Ducrux,  whether  he  would  accept  the  Dictatorship,  on  con- 
dition that  the  Executive  Commission  should  retire.      The 
critical  moment  had  at  last  arrived,  and  propitious  fortune 
by  a  strange  caprice  offered  to  place  the  supreme  power  in 
the  hands  of  the  soldier  of  Algiers.     Cavaignac  accepted  the 
Dictatorship.     But  the  Executive  Commission  were  not  will- 
ing to  be  thus  bought  and  sold,  and  shorn  thus  summarily  of 
their  power,  by  the  leaders  of  popular  factions.     At  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  Barthelemy  de  St.  Hilaire,  in  the 
name  of  the  Commission,  sent  the  captain  of  the  National 
Guard  to  carry  an  order  to  General  Cavaignac.     The  order 
was  not  executed.    The  Commission  during  the  day  demanded 
of  the  General  the  reason.     Cavaignac,  disposed  to  equivo- 
cate, threw  the  blame  on  General  Fouche,  a  person  who  then 
labored  under  a  species  of  disgrace.     Fouche  earnestly  de- 
fended  himself.      Various   discussions   passed   between   the 
Commission,  Cavaignac  and  the  Assembly,  which  need  not  be 
narrated.     The  result  of  all  these  agitations  was,  that  at 
length  Pascal  Duprat,  who  was  the  leader  of  the  Cavaignac 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  231 

faction  in  the  Assembly,  ascended  the  tribune,  and  demanded 
in  loud  and  violent  terms  that  the  Assembly  pass  a  decree  to 
the  effect  that  Paris  is  in  a  state  of  siege,  and  that  a  dictato- 
rial power  be  concentrated  in  the  sole  hands  of  General  Ca- 
vaignac.  Lagrange  and  other  deputies  protested  against 
Buch  a  sacrifice  of  the  liberties  of  the  nation.  When  the  vote 
was  taken  on  the  decree,  sixty  votes  were  given  against  it. 
A  vast  majority  of  several  hundred  bewildered,  terrified  or 
corrupted  representatives,  decided  in  favor  of  it.  At  half- 
past  ten  at  night  Cavaignac  became  Dictator  of  France, 
and  the  Executive  Commission  existed  no  more. 

The  new  Dictator  immediately  commenced  the  work  of 
subduing  the  revolt  and  the  insurrection  which  then  raged  in 
the  streets  of  Paris,  as  well  as  of  crushing  every  other  ele- 
ment of  resistance.  In  less  than  twenty-four  hours  the  Die 
tator  suppressed  eleven  newspapers.  Two  journals  alone 
applauded  the  policy  and  the  severity  of  Cavaignac.  These 
were  the  "Constitutional"  and  "  The  Country ;"  but  these 
were  governed  by  speculators,  and  not  by  publicists ;  by 
Delamaire  the  banker,  and  by  Veron  the  operator.  Ca- 
vaignac gained  over  the  National  Guards  by  a  specious  pro- 
clamation, in  which  he  spoke  of  a  Republic  which  had  no 
existence  except  in  his  own  imagination.  The  revolted 
canaille  of  Paris  were  deluded  and  pacified  by  a  similar 
process,  although  at  one  period  during  the  progress  of  the 
conflict  for  the  supreme  power  they  not  unjustly  bestowed  the 
title  of  "  Butcher"  on  the  bold  aspirant  for  supremacy. 

His  subsequent  acts  during  his  brief  administration  were 
singular  enough,  and  confirmed  the  statement  which  has 
already  been  made  in  this  work,  that  Cavaignac,  though  a 
brave  soldier,  did  not  possess  a  particle  of  statesmanship. 
He  selected  his  cabinet  from  among  the  Orleanists,  including 
such  men  as  Dufrane  and  Vivien,  yet  he  attempted  to  flatter 
and  conciliate  every  party.  But  he  succeeded  in  offending 
all ;  and  when  the  period  arrived  for  the  election  of  a  President 
of  the  new  Republic,  out  of  seven  millions  of  votes  he  did 
not  obtain  more  than  a  million  and  a  half.     The  Dictator  fell 


232  PUBLICAND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

to  rise  no  more ;  and  on  his  ruins  the  power  and  glory  of 
Louis  Napoleon  gradually  ascended,  until  they  reached  their 
present  magnificent  proportions. 

General  Cavaignac  then  sank  into  that  obscurity  which  he 
deserved.  Two  eventful  years  rolled  away,  during  which 
Louis  Napoleon  ably  swayed  the  sceptre  of  France  as  her 
President.  At  length  the  memorable  2d  of  December,  1851, 
dawned,  and  with  its  earliest  light  the  sudden  and  mysterious 
terrors  of  the  coup  d'etat  burst  upon  the  astonished  capital. 
Then  came  the  arrest  of  General  Cavaignac  as  already 
described  —  and  afterward  his  imprisonment  at  Ham.  This 
was  a  three-fold  misfortune  to  the  fallen  Dictator ;  for  it 
destroyed  at  the  same  moment  his  military  reputation,  his 
political  consequence,  and  those  tender  domestic  hopes  on 
which  his  future  happiness  depended.  During  the  period  of 
his  supremacy,  the  fame  of  the  general  had  fascinated  and 
won  the  heart  of  a  beautiful  young  lady,  Mademoiselle  Odier. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  James  Odier,  a  distinguished  banker, 
and  she  forgot  the  age  of  the  general  in  her  admiration  of  his 
celebrity.  When  he  was  arrested  he  wrote  a  note  to  the  young 
lady  informing  her  of  his  situation,  and  releasing  her  from  the 
obligations  of  the  marriage  vow  which  was  to  have  been 
assumed  in  a  day  or  two  after  the  occurrence  of  the  coup 
d'etat. 

She  answered  immediately  that  she  only  saw  in  his  misfor- 
tune another  and  stronger  reason  why  she  should  fulfil  her 
engagement.  The  first  care  of  James  Odier  was  to  demand 
for  his  wife  and  daughter  permission  to  visit  the  general  in 
his  prison.  The  Count  de  Morny,  minister  of  the  President, 
acted  the  part  of  a  trifler  in  this  affair,  and  at  length  granted 
the  desired  permission  in  such  a  manner  as  almost  to  render 
it  an  insult.  He  allowed  the  commandant  of  the  fortress  to 
permit  an  hour's  interview  in  the  presence  of  a  guard.  Mr 
Odier  thanked  De  Morny  by  letter  for  even  this  courtesy,  and 
requested  that  the  general  might  be  permitted  to  write  to  his 
Jianc6e,  and  speak  to  her  without  the  presence  of  a  witness. 

A  singular  correspondence  between  De  Morny,  M.  Odier, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  233 

and  Cavaignac  then  ensued.  De  Moray  wrote  to  M.  Odier 
to  the  effect  that  Louis  Napoleon  did  not  confound  General 
Gavaignac  with  the  desperate  conspirators  who  meditated  the 
overthrow  of  his  power  ;  and  that  it  would  grieve  the  Presi- 
dent to  see  the  joy  of  the  marriage  damped  by  the  chilly  walls 
of  a  prison.  The  letter  enclosed  an  order  to  the  commandant 
of  the  fortress  to  release  the  captive  general.  This  circum- 
stance called  forth  a  reply  from  General  Cavaignac,  in  which 
he  declared  to  De  Moray  that  he  was  entitled  to  his  liberty 
without  any  act  of  grace  from  the  President,  and  he  should 
accept  it  as  a  right,  and  not  as  a  gift.  He  added,  that  by 
using  the  order  for  his  discharge,  and  by  accepting  his  release, 
he  expressly  refrained  from  acknowledging  the  legitimacy  of 
the  power  which  had,  for  a  short  period,  deprived  him  of  his 
freedom.  De  Moray  responded  in  an  artful  epistle,  in  which 
he  said  that  he  should  abstain  from  making  any  response  to 
the  positions  assumed  by  the  general  in  his  previous  letter, 
and  merely  confined  himself  to  congratulating  the  general 
upon  the  felicity  of  his  approaching  nuptials. 

General  Cavaignac  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mdlle. 
Odier  on  the  1st  of  January,  1852.  Then  terminated  the 
political  and  military  importance  of  the  former  Dictator  of 
France.  He  never  afterward  emerged  from  the  tranquil  ob- 
scurity in  which  the  overwhelming  success  of  Louis  Napoleon 
enveloped  him.  He  expired  suddenly,  on  the  29th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1857,  while  engaged  in  the  diversion  of  shooting  on  one 
of  the  country  estates  of  his  wife.  His  corpse  was  conveyed 
to  Paris,  where  the  funeral  obsequies  took  place.  He  was 
buried  with  the  usual  military  honors,  and  most  of  the  illus- 
trious and  the  great  who  resided  or  were  present  in  the  capi- 
tal, honored  the  last  solemn  journey  of  the  hero  of  Algiers 
to  the  grave  with  their  presence  and  their  sympathy.  The 
Court  and  the  Emperor  were  represented  ;  but  only  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  imply  that  they  tolerated,  though  they  scarcely 
approved,  the  demonstration  which  was  made  in  favor  of  the 
U. Timet  Dictator. 
20* 


234  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Louis  Napoleon's  reputation  for  Gallantry  —  Was  always  regarded  in 
England  as  a  bad  matrimonial  match — He  is  rejected  by  Miss  Belleu 
— He  afterward  rejects  Her — The  Princess  Mathilde  —  Louis  Napo- 
leon's intrigue  with  Mademoiselle  Lautre  —  His  connection  with  the 
Countess  de  Castiglione  —  Despair  of  the  Empress  —  The  Opera  of 
Joconde — The  Count  de  Morny — The  Prince  Walewski — Influence  of 
Louis  Napoleon's  reign  on  French  Society — The  contrast  between  its 
Influence  and  that  of  Charles  X.  and  Louis  Philippe. 

The  unenviable  reputation  for  excessive  gallantry  which 
Louis  Napoleon  has  acquired,  may  have  had  its  origin  to 
some  extent  in  the  well-known  character  of  his  mother, 
Queen  Hortense.  This  lady  is  said  to  have  spent  her  whole 
life  in  a  series  of  liaisons ;  but  especially  during  her  resi- 
dence in  the  Castle  of  Arenemberg.  It  is  asserted  that  her 
conduct  allured  around  her  many  of  the  noblemen  most  dis- 
tinguished for  gallantry  at  that  time  in  France.  In  the 
small  Court  of  Arenemberg,  Louis  Napoleon,  in  spite  of  his 
great  professions  of  regard  and  esteem  for  his  mother,  must 
have  seen  ample  evidence  of  the  laxity  of  her  morals,  and  the 
unscrupulous  violence  of  her  passions. 

During  his  boyhooa  Louis  Napoleon  gave  no  evidence  of 
the  existence  of  those  strong  propensities  within  him,  which 
have  characterized  his  riper  years.  He  was  then  remarkable 
for  the  gentleness  of  his  disposition,  and  for  the  timidity  and 
sweetness  of  his  temper.  His  fair  flowing  curls  and  soft  blue 
eyes  seemed  more  characteristic  of  girlhood;  so  that  even 
the  ladies  of  the  imperial  court,  his  mother,  and  the  Empress 
Josephine,  used  to  term  him  la  Princesse  Louis,  instead  of 
le  Prince  Louis.  His  most  general  appellation  when  a  boy, 
was  le  Prince  oui-oui,  from  the  gentle  obedience  and  Bub- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  235 

mission  with  which  he  uniformly  complied  with  the  wishes 
of  others. 

During  the  first  residence  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  England, 
several  incidents  occurred  in  reference  to  the  gentler  sex, 
which  deserve  to  be  narrated,  as  indicative  of  the  vicissitudes 
which  attend  the  progress  of  human  life.  Although  the 
Prince  was  received  by  the  highest  English  aristocracy  as 
the  representative  and  heir  of  the  great  Napoleon,  he  was  re- 
garded as  a  very  bad  match  ;  and  not  one  of  the  distinguished 
noblemen  who  entertained  him, — the  Duke  of  Buccleugh,  the 
Duke  of  Hamilton,  or  the  Duke  of  Devonshire, — would  have 
given  him  their  daughter  in  marriage.  No  one  at  that  time 
entertained  the  remotest  suspicion  that  the  imperial  diadem 
would  ever  encircle  that  pale  and  diminutive  brow.  There 
are  doubtless  at  this  very  moment  many  of  the  fairest 
and  proudest  peeresses  of  England,  who  secretly  sigh  to 
think  that  there  was  a  time,  when  they  might  easily  have 
courted  and  won  the  hand  which  could  now  conduct  them  to 
the  splendid  elevation  of  a  throne  1 

Though  the  British  aristocracy  repelled  the  matrimonial 
advances  of  Louis  Napoleon,  and  he  possessed  too  much  good 
sense  to  press  or  obtrude  them,  there  was  one  lady  —  not 
however  the  daughter  of  a  nobleman  —  who,  at  the  time  of 
the  Prince's  residence  in  England,  was  young,  beautiful,  and 
had  just  fallen  heir  to  an  estate  of  five  thousand  pounds  a 
year.  This  lady  was  Miss  Belleu.  Immediately  after  the 
receipt  of  her  fortune  she  repaired  to  London  from  Devon- 
shire, entered  its  gay  society,  and  was  soon  surrounded  by 
a  host  of  admirers.  Many  younger  sons  of  dukes  and  earls 
sued  for  the  posession  of  her  hand  and  fortune  ;  and  among 
her  other  admirers  was  Prince  Louis.  He  was  greatly 
smitten  with  her  buxom  beauty,  and  one  evening,  after  dancing 
with  her  in  various  waltzes  and  polkas,  which  were  just  then 
becoming  fashionable,  he  offered  her  his  heart  and  hand.  Miss 
Belleu  at  once  refused  the  future  Emperor.  Yet  when,  in  the 
year  1848,  the  star  of  Louis  Napoleon  began  to  glimmer  in 


236  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  political  horizon,  and  he  had  been  chosen  representative, 
and  afterward  President,  Miss  Belleu,  still  unmarried,  and 
still  fascinating  and  beautiful,  hastened  to  Paris,  and  showed 
herself  obtrusively  at  the  receptions  of  the  Elysee  Palace. 
But  at  that  time  the  Prince  Napoleon  winked  prodigiously 
hard,  and  would  not  see  or  remember  the  former  object  of  hia 
idolatry. 

At  the  Chateau  of  Ham  there  are  said  to  be  two  children 
who  possess  the  right  to  call  the  Emperor  of  the  French  their 
father.  Their  mother  was  the  daughter  of  the  keeper  of  the 
prison ;  and  ample  provision  has  been  made  for  them  by 
their  august  progenitor.  The  same  liberality  has  marked  the 
conduct  of  the  Emperor  to  Mrs.  Howard,  whose  partiality 
and  assistance  were  so  opportune  during  the  dreary  years  of 
his  exile.  This  lady  received  from  her  former  lover  an  am- 
ple fortune,  as  an  acquittance  in  full  of  all  obligations,  at  the 
time  of  the  imperial  marriage.  She  has  since  become  the 
wife  of  a  young  Englishman,  with  whom  she  lives  in  ease  and 
luxury  on  the  fruits  of  the  imperial  generosity. 

While  Louis  Napoleon  was  still  unmarried,  he  installed 
his  cousin,  the  Princess  Mathilde,  as  the  mistress  of  the  pre- 
sidential and  imperial  palace,  deputing  to  her  the  task  of 
doing  its  honors.  This  lady  is  the  daughter  of  ex-King 
Joseph  Bonaparte,  who  once  resided  at  Bordentown  as  the 
Count  de  Survilliers.  She  was  educated  in  Florence,  and 
there  married  at  an  early  age  the  Prince  Demidoff.  This 
marriage  was  an  unhappy  one,  and  it  ended  at  last  in  an 
amicable  separation.  The  Princess  is  a  lady  of  remarkable 
elegance  and  refinement,  as  well  as  beauty.  Her  grace,  her 
tact,  and  her  extraordinary  conversational  powers,  imparted  to . 
the  dinners,  and  to  the  intimate  receptions  at  the  Elysee,  a 
peculiar  and  unrivalled  charm.  Her  taste  in  dress  directed 
the  fashions.  Her  love  of  music  and  the  fine  arts  elevated  the 
Court.  Louis  Napoleon  shared  the  admiration  of  the  public 
for  his  fair  cousin  ;  and  scandal  even  magnified  his  partiality 
and  affection  for  her  into  a  grosser  passion.    Yet  of  the  truth 


' 


jITI  EL1IN 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  23T 

of  this  charge  there  is  no  proof;  nor  could  there  well  be,  in 
the  nature  of  the  case. 

Since  the  marriage  of  the  Emperor  he  has  been  attracted 
by  the  potent  charms  of  at  least  two  women,  who  have  suc- 
ceeded in  leading  hira  into  lamentable  lapses  from  conjugal 
fidelity.  The  first  of  these  was  Madamoiselle  Lautre,  a 
young  prima  donna  of  the  Grand  Opera  of  Paris.  This  lady 
was  very  beautiful,  and  very  talented  ;  and  she  so  directed  the 
expressive  glances  of  her  dark  voluptuous  eyes  towards  the 
imperial  box,  as  to  succeed  in  planting  a  love-dart  in  the 
bosom  of  its  chief  occupant.  Her  salary  was  immediately 
doubled  ;  and  when  the  fascinating  cantatrice  complained  to 
her  imperial  lover  in  a  moment  of  tenderness  that  the  Opera 
House  was  very  badly  arranged  to  display  the  peculiar  merits 
of  her  voice,  he  instantly  replied  :  "  Set  fire  to  it,  and  I  will 
build  you  another."  But  the  fair  artist  was  deficient,  not  in 
beauty  nor  in  passion,  but  in  discretion  ;  and  the  liaison  did 
not  very  long  continue. 

The  second  inamorata  of  the  Emperor  since  his  marriage 
was  the  noble  and  beautiful  Countess  de  Castiglione.  This 
lady  was  a  native  of  Milan  in  Lombardy,  and  she  belonged  to 
one  of  those  ancient  and  distinguished  Lombard  families,  a 
portion  of  whom  reside  in  Piedmont.  Both  at  Turin  aud 
at  Milan  the  ladies  of  the  Castiglione  family  have  long  been 
renowned  for  their  great  beauty.  Madame  Castiglione  had 
a  good-natured  husband,  with  whom  she  lived  apparently  on 
the  best  possible  terms.  She  was  not  only  a  beautiful  woman, 
but  was  also  highly  intellectual,  accomplished,  and  refined. 
She  never  assumed  the  airs  of  a  mistress,  or  the  authority  of 
a  favorite,  during  the  period  of  her  connection  with  the  Em- 
peror. Her  high  birth  and  breeding  prevented  any  such  dis- 
play of  vulgarity;  but  certain  it  is  that,  for  a  time,  the  spell 
which  she  cast  upon  the  imperial  mind  and  fancy  was  power- 
ful in  the  extreme.  The  gentle  Eugenie  strove  in  vain  to 
conjure  against  the  fascinating  Italian  magician.  Time  at 
length  accomplished  for  the  Empress  what  her  own  charms 


238  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

had  failed  to  do  ;  and  an  incident  occurred  on  the  30th  of 
April,  185*7,  which  showed  publicly  that  the  reign  of  the 
haughty  daughter  of  Italy,  for  some  mysterious  and  unknown 
reason,  had  terminated.  The  Emperor  and  Empress  were 
present  at  the  revival  of  a  well-known  and  admired  opera, 
written  by  Etienne  and  Nicolo,  called  Joconde.  A  popular 
romance  closes  with  these  words  : 

"  On  devient  infidele 
On  court  de  belle  en  belle, 
Mais  on  revient  toujours, 
A  ses  premiers  amours.  „ 

ENGLISH    VERSION. 

"  Oft  we  turn  from  fair  to  fair, 

Faithless  as  the  summer  air, 

But  wherever  we  may  rove, 

Still  we  turn  to  our  first  love." 

When  this  couplet  was  recited  Louis  Napoleon  looked 
significantly  at  the  Empress,  and  nodded  his  head  so  decidedly, 
that  the  audience  at  once  remarked  and  applauded  the  act. 
Eugenie  blushed  profusely,  yet  smiled  sweetly  in  token  of  her 
joy.  The  very  next  day  the  fair  and  proud  Countess  de  Cas- 
tiglione  started,  with  her  complacent  husband,  for  Lombardy. 

It  is  barely  possible  that  the  criminality  of  this  connection 
rests  only  in  the  suspicions  of  the  perverse  public.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  the  intelligence  and  wit  of  the  Countess,  rather  than 
her  beauty,  attracted  her  imperial  admirer.  Louis  Napoleon 
is  almost  constantly  engaged  in  the  laborious  duties  of  his 
high  office,  and  even  his  intercourse  with  the  Empress  must, 
to  a  great  extent,  be  characterized  by  a  political  tinge  ;  their 
conversation  must  have  frequent  and  constant  reference  to  the 
onerous  labors  and  responsibilities  which  rest  upon  him.  It 
would  therefore  be  a  great  relief  to  his  care-tired  thoughts  to 
relax  his  mind  in  the  gay  and  entertaining  society  of  such  a 
woman  as  the  Countess,  to  whom  politics  and  ambitious  pro- 
jects, dark  conspiracies  and  formidable  combinations  were 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  239 

total  strangers.  Such  indeed  may  have  been  the  nature  of 
her  association  with  the  hero  of  the  coup  d'etat,  in  spite  of 
all  the  uncharitable  and  malicious  suppositions  of  the  world. 

Louis  Napoleon  is  surrounded  by  living  monuments  of  the 
incontinence  of  his  illustrious  race;  for  one  of  his  chief 
favorites  is  the  Count  de  Morny,  who  is  an  illegitimate  son 
of  Hortense.  Another  is  Prince  Walewski,  the  fruit  of  an 
amour  of  the  great  Napoleon  with  a  beautiful  Polish  lady, 
the  Countess  Walewski,  whom  the  conqueror  met  at  the  period 
of  the  battle  of  Eylau.  Count  de  Morny  was  the  French 
ambassador  to  the  Court  of  St.  Petersburg.  Prince  Walew- 
ski was  the  President  of  the  famous  Peace  Congress  of  Paris, 
which  terminated  the  war  in  the  Crimea.  These  two  noble- 
men, together  with  the  Prince  Napoleon,  who  strikingly 
resembles  the  great  Napoleon  in  his  person  and  in  his  features, 
constitute  the  chief  favorites  of  the  Imperial  family  ;  and  they 
now  share,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  splendor,  felicity,  and 
power  which  are  possessed  by  their  remarkable  and  illustrious 
relative. 

The  reign  of  Louis  Napoleon,  in  its  influence  upon  French 
society,  and  in  its  relation  to  the  French  people,  differs  in  its 
essential  features  from  all  its  predecessors.  The  restored 
Bourbons  of  the  elder  branch,  terminating  with  Charles  X., 
established  as  far  as  they  could  a  rigid  and  severe  prudery ; 
they  fostered  and  promoted  the  spirit  of  courtly  chivalry, 
which  had  flourished  with  genial  pride  and  splendor,  in  the 
palmy  days  of  the  ancient  monarchy ;  but  which  was  indeed 
little  consonant  with  the  matter-of-fact  genius  of  the  present 
age.  This  policy  on  the  part  of  the  government  compelled 
the  frail  and  licentious  to  conceal  their  intrigues,  and  to 
simulate  the  possession  of  a  virtue  of  which  in  reality  they 
were  destitute.  The  intrigues  of  the  courtiers  were  aa 
numerous  as  ever,  but  they  were  concealed,  and  elevated  to 
some  extent,  by  the  instincts  of  the  heart  which  generally 
dictated  them. 

Louis  Philippe,  the  head  of  the  Orleans  dynasty,  or  younger 


240  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Bourbon  branch,  was  the  king:  and  favorite  of  the  Bourgeoisie, 
and  he  set  the  example  in  his  own  family  of  the  virtues 
which,  in  all  civilized  countries,  are  the  distinctive  character- 
istics of  the  middle  classes.  Family  affection  and  domestic 
felicity,  during  his  reign,  and  under  the  benign  sanction  of 
his  exemplary  wife  and  daughters,  became  more  generally 
prevalent  in  the  middle  classes  of  France,  than  at  any  other 
period  of  her  history. 

The  Napoleonic  dynasty  has  always  loved  extreme  magnifi- 
cence and  luxury  ;  and  Louis  Napoleon,  at  the  head  of  the 
second  empire,  is  true  to  the  traditions  of  his  race.  Napo- 
leon I.  exhibited  his  Italian  descent  by  many  indications ; 
among  the  rest,  even  by  his  love  of  embroideries,  finery,  and 
every  thing  which  glittered  and  flashed.  He  also  strove  to 
appeal  to  the  French  people  through  the  influence  of  their 
imaginations.  Hence,  glory  was  the  great  aim  and  charac- 
teristic of  his  reign.  Napoleon  III.  lives  and  toils  for  the 
same  supreme  results,  but  with  this  difference,  that  while  the 
glory  of  the  first  empire  was  chiefly  military,  the  glory  of 
the  second  is  chiefly  civil.  But  glory  of  no  description  can 
be  secured  or  supported  without  vast  pecuniary  resources. 
These  resources  the  first  Napoleon  obtained  by  his  military 
conquests  ;  the  second  empire  flourishes  in  equal  splendor  by 
means  of  the  wealth  which  is  won  by  speculation.  The 
money-changers  and  the  speculators  now  have  their  halcyon 
days  in  France,  and  bask  in  the  golden  felicities  of  an  age 
and  of  a  reign  eminently  propitious  to  their  interests.  Hence 
the  passion  for  speculation  has  reached  an  extent  and  a  degree 
which  never  before  existed  in  France ;  and  it  may  at  last 
prove  the  fatal  rock  on  which  the  government  and  empire  of 
Louis  Napoleon  will  split,  after  having  successfully  resisted 
every  other  foe,  and  happily  escaped  every  other  peril. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  241 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  visit  of  Napoleon  III.  and  Eugenie  to  England  in  1855 — The  jour- 
ney of  Queen  Victoria  to  Paris — The  Inundations  in  France  in  1856 — 
Louis  Napoleon's  great  Administrative  Talent — The  pacific  Splendors 
of  the  Empire  —  Visit  of  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine  of  Russia  to 
Paris — Review  of  Troops  in  the  Capital  in  1857  —  The  magnificent 
Coup  cTCEil — Louis  Napoleon's  Elat  Major  —  Private  Amusements  of 
the  French  Court  —  Political  apathy  in  France — Causes  of  that 
Apathy  —  The  "Council  of  Regency" — The  elections  throughout 
France  in  June,  1857  —  Attempted  Assassinations. 

The  alliance  between  England  and  France  having  termi- 
nated so  gloriously  for  the  arms  and  the  diplomacy  of  both 
countries,  other  acts  of  national  amity  ensued  between  them. 
In  1855  the  French  Emperor  and  Empress  visited  the  British 
sovereign  in  her  own  dominious ;  the  first  instance  probably 
in  the  history  of  the  world  in  which  a  reigning  French 
monarch  set  foot  upon  the  soil  of  his  hereditary  foes.  The 
rejoicings  on  this  occasion  were  prodigious ;  and  the  man 
who  once  paced  the  streets  of  London  penniless,  and  de- 
pendent on  the  amorous  generosity  of  a  woman  of  question- 
able virtue,  was  received  in  the  same  capital  with  universal 
greetings,  with  flying  banners,  with  military  salutes,  with  the 
congratulations  of  the  sovereign  and  nobility,  and  with  the 
joyful  acclamations  of  millions.  In  a  short  time,  Victoria 
and  Albert  returned  the  compliment,  and  the  scene  was 
changed  from  London  to  Paris.  On  that  memorable  occa- 
sion the  gay  and  brilliant  capital  of  France  assumed  un- 
wonted hues  of  splendor,  and  exhibited  scenes  of  festivity 
and  rejoicing  which  had  never  before  been  equalled.  The 
great  centre  of  the  world's  civilization  and  luxury  exhausted 
21  Q 


242  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

her  varied  and  infinite  resources  to  impress,  delight,  and  charm 
the  august  visitors. 

The  extraordinary  inundations  which  deluged  a  portion  of 
the  French  territory  in  1856,  called  forth  a  degree  of  chival- 
rous and  charitable  daring  on  the  part  of  the  Emperor,  which 
won  for  him  fresh  laurels  among  his  subjects.  As  soon  as 
the  ravages  of  the  swift  and  swollen  Rhone  were  reported  at 
Paris,  the  Emperor  started  for  Lyons.  It  was  at  midnight. 
He  arrived  at  that  desolate  city  almost  unattended,  and  in- 
stantly gave  such  orders  as  were  adapted  to  afford  relief. 
He  passed  fearlessly  between  crumbling  houses  and  through 
dangerous  currents.  All  Lyons  resounded  with  his  applause. 
From  that  city  he  proceeded  to  Provence.  He  penetrated 
to  the  very  centre  of  the  city  of  Avignon,  in  a  small  boat. 
He  thence  advanced  to  Aries  over  a  vast  inundated  plain, 
frequently  sailing  in  a  frail  nut-shell,  over  the  tops  of  houses 
and  trees.  The  same  scenes  were  repeated  at  Orleans,  at 
Blois,  and  at  Tours.  Everywhere  the  Emperor  displayed 
great  intrepidity  in  affording  relief  of  all  kinds  to  the 
myriads  who  had  been  mined  by  the  overwhelming  floods. 

Since  his  attainment  of  supreme  power,  Louis  Napoleon 
has  exhibited  administrative  talent  of  the  first  order.  France 
is  governed  with  the  regularity  and  system  of  a  gigantic  piece 
of  mechanism.  Never  before,  even  in  the  palmiest  days  of 
the  great  Napoleon,  did  more  vigor,  energy,  and  harmony  per- 
vade the  administration  ;  while  in  addition  to  this,  the  country 
is  saved  from  the  immense  expense  of  blood  and  treasure 
which  the  insatiable  ambition  of  that  restless  hero  constantly 
entailed  upon  it.  Recent  improvements  have  been  introduced 
into  everything  which  the  resources  or  the  activity  of  the 
sovereign  could  possibly  reach.  The  gay  capital  of  the 
empire  has  been  the  special  object  of  his  care ;  and  Paris 
seems  almost  to  have  thrown  off  the  dingy  and  faded  habili- 
ments of  past  ages  which  still  clung  to  her,  and  to  have 
assumed  the  freshness,  the  beauty,  and  the  energy  of  youth. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  243 

All  the  public  monuments  of  architectural  skill,  the  palaces, 
the  temples,  and  the  chief  streets  have,  by  his  orders,  been 
embellished,  enlarged,  repaired  and  renovated.  Much  as 
Paris  owed  to  the  Bourbons,  to  Napoleon  I.,  and  to  the  Or- 
leans dynasty,  she  owes  perhaps  still  more  to  Louis  Napoleon. 
Under  his  administration  all  the  pacific  splendors  of  the 
former  empire  have  been  restored.  He  has  neglected  no 
means  of  impressing  upon  the  world,  and  upon  his  own  sub- 
jects, the  greatness  of  his  power,  and  the  security  with  which 
he  sits  upon  his  throne.  All  the  appointments  of  his  court 
are  on  the  highest  scale  of  magnificence.  Those  public 
reviews,  by  which  the  strength  and  majesty  of  his  army  are 
exhibited,  are  imposing  in  the  extreme,  and  he  embraces  every 
opportunity  to  display  them.  One  of  these  occasions  was 
the  visit  paid  by  the  Russian  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  to 
Paris,  in  May,  1857.  The  day  was  observed  as  a  general 
festival  in  the  capital.  The  review  was  appointed  to  com- 
mence at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  but  for  hours  before 
the  arrival  of  that  period  every  avenue  leading  to  the  vast 
area  of  the  Champs  de  Mars  was  crowded  with  endless 
masses  of  troops  of  all  arms,  and  of  every  imaginable  style 
of  uniform,  who  were  marching  with  stately  tread  and  martial 
music  to  the  grand  rendezvous.  As  the  hour  approached  for 
the  review  to  commence,  the  scene  presented  was  magnificent 
in  the  extreme.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  along  both 
banks  of  the  Seine,  and  through  the  immense  perspective  of 
the  adjacent  Boulevards,  the  glittering  arms  of  cavalry  and 
infantry  flashed  brightly  in  the  rays  of  the  refulgent  sun  ; 
while  the  various  strains  of  the  multitudinous  bands  of  music, 
and  the  loud  sounding  words  of  command  from  officers  riding 
to  and  fro,  came  floating  to  the  ear  on  the  grateful  and 
gentle  breeze.  For  a  long  time  after  reaching  the  plain,  the 
movements  of  the  various  bodies  continued,  advancing,  re- 
ceding, wheeling,  and  at  last  taking  their  positions  in  the  line. 
As  the  hour  of  two  was  tolled  from  the  lofty  towers  of  the 


244  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Invalides,  seventy  thousand  men  stood  motionless  in  military 
array,  and  disposed  so  as  to  produce  the  most  sublime  and 
impressive  effect,  awaiting  the  approach  of  that  single  person 
who  had  so  heroically  grasped  and  secured  the  sceptre  of 
dominion  in  France.  That  moment  of  expectancy  presented 
to  the  eye  of  the  observer  a  scene  of  martial  splendor  equal 
to  any  ever  witnessed  by  mortal  eye.  The  military  pageant 
was  not  the  only  element  of  splendor  there.  The  place  itself 
surpassed  in  magnificence  any  other  spot  on  earth.  The  more 
prominent  objects  which  met  the  eye  were  of  matchless 
grandeur.  The  noble  facade  of  the  Ecole  Militaire,  the 
splendid  dome  of  the  Hotel  des  Invalides,  the  towering  mass 
of  the  Arc-de-Triomphe,  and  a  hundred  other  monuments  of 
architectural  beauty,  as  well  as  of  historic  celebrity,  suggest- 
ing to  the  mind  of  the  observer  those  memorable  scenes  of 
glory  and  felicity,  as  well  as  of  misery  and  blood,  through 
which  France  and  her  children  had  passed  in  former  years  ; — 
all  these  were  then  within  view,  and  combined  with  the 
majesty  of  military  power  which  was  assembled  in  their  centre 
to  form  a  coup  deceit  such  as  no  other  locality  in  the  world 
could  present. 

At  length  the  graceful  waving  of  white  and  red  plumes, 
and  the  glittering  of  polished  silver  helmets  on  the  Pont  de 
Jena,  the  roll  of  a  thousand  drums  and  the  music  of  a  thou- 
sand trumpets,  indicated  the  approach  of  Louis  Napoleon 
and  his  illustrious  guest.  Surrounded  by  his  magnificent 
Etat  Major,  composed  of  the  chief  officers  of  all  the  regiments, 
including  many  men  of  distinction,  the  Emperor  rode  with 
military  precision  into  the  centre  of  the  gorgeous  array.  The 
Champs  de  31ars,  familiar  as  it  had  been  with  the  glories  of 
the  first  empire,  had  never  seen  the  conqueror  of  a  hundred 
battle-fields  surrounded  with  a  halo  of  greater  martial 
grandeur  than  that  which  then  encompassed  the  man  who  had 
never  seen  a  solitary  conflict  of  arms,  or  had  commanded  a 
single  battalion  ic  the  field.     On  the  right  of  the  Emperor 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  245 

rode  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine,  dressed  in  the  costume  of 
a  Russian  Admiral.  At  the  side  of  these  respectively,  rode 
the  Prince  Napoleon  and  the  Duke  of  Nassau.  A  crowd  of 
illustrious  commanders  followed  in  the  rear,  including  Marshals 
Bosquet,  Canrobert,  and  Pelissier,  together  with  three  Russian 
generals  of  celebrity,  Totleben,  Luders,  and  Liprandi.  Behind 
these  came  the  sumptuous  carriage  of  the  Empress  Eugenie, 
who  was  arrayed  in  the  most  gorgeous  and  elegant  toilette, 
and  seemed  the  very  picture  of  loveliness  and  beauty.  Three 
times  the  splendid  cortege  passed  through  the  field ;  after 
which  the  Emperor,  the  Grand  Duke,  and  the  Empress  took 
up  their  position  under  the  central  pavilion  of  the  Military 
School ;  and  then  the  defile  began.  During  three  hours 
seventy  thousand  men,  composed  of  seventy-four  battalions 
of  foot,  sixty  squadrons  of  cavalry,  and  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pieces  of  artillery,  marched  by,  to  the  inspiring  notes  of 
martial  melody  ;  all  arrayed  in  new  uniforms,  with  untarnished 
arms  and  accoutrements,  and  beneath  a  bright  and  propitious 
sky.  Many  of  the  regiments  bore  immortal  names  upon  their 
colors,  which  must  have  forcibly  reminded  the  Grand  Duke 
Constantine  of  those  far-famed  and  bloody  struggles  in  which 
the  colossal  power  of  the  first  empire  strove  with  desperate 
energy  and  effort  to  crush  forever  the  throne  of  the  Musco- 
vite kings.  Nevertheless  the  Grand  Duke  looked  on  com- 
placently, and  uttered  nothing  but  polite  phrases  of  commen- 
dation and  praise. 

Such  are  some  of  the  pageantries  with  which  Louis  Napo- 
leon regales  and  impresses  the  inhabitants  of  his  capital. 
Within  the  precincts  of  his  palace,  and  within  the  limits  of 
his  private  domains,  other  scenes  of  a  less  imposing  but 
equally  diverting  nature  occur.  The  incidents  which  took 
place  during  the  visit  of  the  Russian  Grand  Duke  to  Paris, 
just  alluded  to,  furnish  an  illustration  of  what  royalty  is  in 
dishabille.  Their  majesties,  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  and 
their  guests,  laying  aside  all  ceremony  and  etiquette,  took 
21* 


2-46  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

part  in  such  amusements  as  seem  more  appropriate  to  chil- 
dren on  a  holiday  than  to  high  and  mighty  potentates.  They 
were  entertained  in  the  imperial  park  with  a  performance  of 
learned  dogs  and  monkeys,  brought  from  the  cirque  Napo- 
leon. After  this  exhibition  was  ended,  the  ladies  of  the  com- 
pany took  possession  of  a  steep  and  mossy  mound,  and  un- 
dertook to  defend  it  as  a  fortress  against  the  attacks  of  the 
gentlemen  ;  the  Empress  acting  as  commander-in-chief  of  the 
fair  Amazons. 

One  of  the  most  singular  peculiarities  of  France  under  the 
second  empire,  is  the  complete  and  almost  universal  apathy 
which  is  exhibited  by  the  people  in  general  in  the  affairs  of 
the  government,  and  in  the  details  of  the  administration. 
That  restless  spirit  which  has  so  often  thrown  the  whole 
French  nation  into  a  frenzy,  seems  to  have  expired  ;  and  they 
appear  to  have  delivered  themselves  over,  body  and  soul,  to 
the  control  and  the  supremacy  of  the   chief  of  the  State. 

The  cause   of  this  peculiar  phenomenon  is  twofold: the 

first  is  a  conviction  of  the  uselessncss  and  futility  of  resistance 
and  agitation  at  the  present  time.  The  agents  of  the  impe- 
rial government  are  known  to  be  so  numerous,  so  active,  and 
so  determined,  and  the  spirit  which  actuates  Louis  Napoleon 
is  so  dogmatical  and  exclusive,  that  any  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  people  to  influence  the  course  of  the  administration  is 
readily  believed  to  be  futile.  The  Emperor  constantly  speaks 
of  the  freedom  of  the  polls  ;  he  declares  that  it  shall  not  be  in- 
vaded ;  while  at  the  same  moment  he  proclaims  a  threat  that 
whoever  attempts  to  disturb  the  order  and  security  of  the 
government  shall  be  severely  punished:  which  means  that 
those  who  do  not  on  all  occasions  vote  for  the  candidates 
whom  the  government  specifies  and  approves,  shall  be  severely 
punished.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  boasted  freedom 
of  the  elections  is  but  an  idle  name,  an  absurd  farce. 

The  second  reason  of  this  strange  apathy  is  the  confidence 
which  the  great  majority  of  the  French  nation  actually  feel  in 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  247 

the  sagacity  and  security  of  the  imperial  government ;  and  a 
desire  to  enjoy  a  continuance  of  the  favorable  results  which 
the  policy  and  labors  of  Louis  Napoleon  have  already  ob- 
tained for  France.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that,  in  regard  to 
physical  advantages,  such  as  commerce,  agriculture,  arts, 
sciences,  and  education,  France  was  never  more  prosperous 
and  flourishing  than  she  has  been  under  the  second  empire ; 
and  it  is  natural  that  the  French  people  should  desire  a  per- 
manence of  this  fortunate  state  of  affairs.  It  is  true  that 
the  ancient  parties  which  are  hostile  to  the  Emperor  still 
exist.  The  Legitimists,  the  Orleans  party,  and  the  Red  Re- 
publicans, are  not  yet  extinct.  But  it  is  very  evident  that 
their  influence  is  insignificant,  either  separately  or  com' 
bined,  when  compared  with  the  overwhelming  power  of  the 
partisans,  the  patrons,  and  the  employees  of  the  imperial 
government. 

In  June,  1857,  the  general  eleotion  for  members  of  the 
Corps  Legislatif  took  place  throughout  France.  The  result 
of  the  contest  clearly  demonstrated  that  the  power  of  the  fac- 
tions hostile  to  the  government  was  broken.  The  whole  of 
France  returned  but  half  a  dozen  deputies  who  were  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Opposition.  The  most  important  of  these 
was  General  Cavaignac  ;  but  his  subsequent  premature  death 
relieved  the  government  of  any  disagreeable  or  dangerous  re- 
sults which  might  have  followed  his  appearance  in  the  national 
legislature. 

In  September,  1857,  a  preconcerted  and  formal  interview 
took  place  between  the  French  Emperor  and  the  Russian 
monarch,  the  youthful  Alexander  II.,  at  Stuttgart.  The 
Empress  of  Russia  and  the  Queen  of  Greece  were  also  present. 
The  King  of  Prussia  had  been  invited  ;  but  for  some  import- 
ant reasons  of  state  he  declined.  The  conferences  continued 
during  four  days  at  the  palace  of  the  King  of  Wurtemberg. 
Measures  of  importance,  as  affecting  the  future  peace  of 
Europe  and  the  relations  of  the  high  powers  represented,  were 


24$  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

discussed.  One  of  these  is  understood  to  have  been  the  set* 
tlement  of  the  limits  within  which  Russia  and  Great  Britain 
shall  be  permitted  in  future  to  extend  their  conquests  in  the 
East.  Thus  the  once  penniless  London  vagabond  sways  the 
sceptre  of  his  empire,  with  potent  influence,  not  merely  in 
Europe  and  in  Africa,  but  even  over  the  illimitable  domains 
of  Oriental  climes  and  countries. 

It  has  been  the  unfortunate  fate  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  have 
been  frequently  subjected  to  the  perils  of  attempted  assassi- 
nation. These  attempts  have  all  been  singularly  unsuccessful ; 
and  their  failure  has  led  the  credulous  and  the  superstitious 
to  believe  that  he  possesses  a  charmed  life.  One  of  the  most 
important  of  these  attempts  occurred  in  January,  1858.  As 
the  carriage  of  the  Emperor  approached  the  Italian  Opera 
House  three  hollow  projectiles  were  aimed  at  his  person,  and 
burst  beneath  his  feet.  Many  persons  were  wounded,  and  some 
were  killed  among  those  who  surrounded  the  imperial  car- 
riage ;  but  both  Napoleon  and  the  Empress  escaped  unhurt. 
The  chief  conspirators  were  Italian  refugees,  some  of  whom 
suffered  the  richly-merited  penalty  of  death  for  their  sangui- 
nary but  unsuccessful  purpose.  In  this  abortive  attempt 
upon  the  lives  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress  the  names  of 
Orsini  and  Pierri  occupy  an  uuenviable  pre-eminence  in 
ferocity  and  guilt. 

The  hopes  of  the  Emperor  and  the  policy  of  his  adminis- 
tration were  duly  set  forth  in  his  Address  to  the  French 
Legislature,  delivered  on  the  18th  of  January,  1858.  He 
concluded  this  Address  with  the  following  appropriate  and 
significant  language  : 

"  I  have  not  accepted  the  honors  of  the  nation  with  the 
aim  of  acquiring  an  ephemeral  popularity,  but  in  hope  of 
deserving  the  approbation  of  posterity  as  the  founder  of 
established  order.  And  I  declare  to  you  to-day,  notwith- 
standing all  that  has  been  said  on  the  contrary,  that  the 
future  perils  of  your  country  will  not  arise  from  the  excessive 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  249 

prerogatives  of  the  throne,  but  from  the  absence  of  repressive 
laws.  Thus  the  last  elections,  despite  their  satisfactory  re- 
sults, offered  in  some  districts  a  sad  spectacle.  Hostile  par- 
ties availed  themselves  of  that  opportunity  to  create  disturb- 
ances ;  and  some  men  even  avowed  themselves  as  the  enemies 
of  our  national  institutions,  deceived  the  electors  by  false 
promises,  and  after  gaining  their  suffrages,  rejected  them 
with  disdain.  You  will  never  allow  such  a  scandal  to  occur 
again  ;  and  you  will  hereafter  compel  all  the  eligible  to  take 
the  oath  to  the  Constitution  before  presenting  themselves  as 
candidates  for  office. 

"The  tranqailizing  of  the  public  mind  has  been  the  aim 
of  our  constant  efforts,  and  you  will  aid  me  in  seeking  means 
for  reducing  the  factious  opposition  to  silence.  Is  it  not 
painful  to  witness  in  a  country  peaceful  and  prosperous  at 
home,  and  respected  abroad,  one  party  decrying  the  govern- 
ment to  which  it  is  indebted  for  the  security  it  enjoys,  while 
another  exerts  its  political  liberty  to  undermine  the  existing 
institutions  ? 

"I  offer  a  hearty  welcome  to  all  those  who  recognize  the 
national  will,  and  I  do  not  inquire  into  their  antecedents. 
As  for  those  who  have  originated  disturbances,  and  or- 
ganized the  conspiracies,  let  them  know  that  their  time  has 
gune  by  ! 

"I  cannot  close  without  mentioning  that  criminal  attempt 
which  has  been  recently  made.  I  thank  Heaven  for  the 
visible  protection  which  it  has  granted  to  the  Empress  and 
myself;  and  I  deeply  deplore  that  a  plan  for  destroying  one 
life,  should  have  ended  in  the  loss  of  so  many.  Yet  this 
thwarted  scheme  can  teach  us  some  useful  lessons.  The  re- 
course to  such  desperate  means  is  but  a  proof  of  the  feeble- 
ness and  impotence  of  the  conspirators.  And  again,  there 
never  was  an  assassination  which  served  the  interests  of  the 
men  who  armed  the  murderer.  Neither  the  party  that  struck 
Caesar,  nor  that  which  slew  Henry  IV.,  profited  by  their 
overthrow.      God  sometimes  permits  the  death  of  the  just 


250  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

but  he  never  allows  the  triumph  of  the  evil  agent.  Thus 
these  attempts  neither  disturb  my  security  in  the  present,  nor 
my  trust  in  the  future.  If  I  live,  the  Empire  lives  with  me  ; 
if  I  fall,  the  Empire  will  be  strengthened  by  my  death,  for 
the  indignation  of  the  people  and  of  the  army  will  be  a  new 
support  for  the  throne  of  my  son. 

"  Let  us  face  the  future  with  confidence,  and  calmly  devote 
ourselves  to  the  welfare  and  to  the  honor  of  our  country. 
Dieu  protege  la  France  I  " 


PART   SECOND. 


NAPOLEONIC   MISCELLANY. 

No  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  interest  of  the  history  of 
Napoleon  III.  consists  in  the  works  which  he  published,  in 
the  private  letters  which  he  wrote,  and  in  the  official  addresses 
which  he  delivered,  during  the  progress  of  his  career.  In 
order  to  render  the  present  work  more  complete,  the  writer 
has  resolved  to  introduce  into  it  a  selection  from  the  more  im- 
portant of  these  productions  ;  but  instead  of  interrupting  the 
narrative  by  their  insertion  at  different  points  and  periods  of 
it,  they  are  placed  together  in  a  body  in  the  following 
pages. 

No.  I. 

Louis  Napoleon's  Views  of  the  English  Revolution  ;  from  his  "  His- 
torical Fragments." 

The  English  wanted  the  same  things  all  through  this 
period  of  their  history,  and  did  not  rest  until  they  had  ob- 
tained the  object  of  their  wishes.  From  the  sixteenth  century 
the  English  tried  to  get, 

Firstly  —  and  above  all  things  —  the  establishment  of  their 
reformed  religion,  which  comprehended  all  national  interests 

Secondly  —  the  preponderance  of  their  navy,  and  conse 
quently  an  increased  influence  on  the  continent. 

Thirdly  —  the  full  use  of  their  freedom. 

Elizabeth  confirmed  the  triumph  of  the  cause  of  Protest- 
antism, she  added  to  the  notional  glory,  and  her  memory  was 
revered 

(251) 


252  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

The  republic  and  the  Protector  concealed  their  despotic 
and  selfish  views  under  the  name  of  national  dignity.  They 
passed  away. 

The  Stuarts  went  counter  to  the  three  great  wishes  of  the 
majority  of  England.     They  fell. 

William  III.  alone  confirmed  at  once  the  religion,  the 
glory,  and  the  liberties  of  his  country.  He  consolidated  his 
work. 

It  is  not,  then,  chance  which  rules  the  fate  of  nations ;  it 
is  not  an  unforeseen  circumstance  which  overthrows  or  sup- 
ports thrones  :  there  is  a  general  cause  which  regulates  events, 
and  which  makes  them  really  dependent  on  each  other. 

A  government  may  often  violate  the  laws,  and  even 
liberty,  with  impunity ;  but  unless  it  truly  puts  itself  at  the 
head  of  the  great  interests  of  civilization,  it  can  only  have  a 
transient  existence ;  and  the  plain,  philosophical  reason, 
which  is  the  cause  of  its  death,  is  called  fatality,  when  it  is 
wished  to  avoid  the  true  reason. 

England  required  nearly  a  century  of  struggles  between 
society  and  the  evil  passions  of  those  in  power,  and  vice  versa, 
before  she  could  ever  erect  that  immense  English  structure 
which  we  have  hated,  which  we  have  tried  to  overthrow,  bid 
which  we  cannot  but  admire. 

The  revolution  of  1688  has  procured  for  England  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  years  of  prosperity,  grandeur,  and 
liberty. 

Will  the  revolution  of  July  bestow  the  same  blessings  :n 
France  ?     The  future  must  settle  this  question. 

Without  wishing  to  pry  into  the  mysteries  of  Providence, 
let  us  content  ourselves  with  examining  the  causes  and  effects 
of  these  great  political  dramas,  and  seek  in  the  history  of  the 
past  some  consolation  for  our  ills,  some  hope  for  our  country. 

England,  tired  of  civil  wars,  disabused  of  the  sacredness 
of  parties  and  the  excellence  of  the  regal  power,  preserved 
but  one  object  of  hatred,  one  of  love,  as  the  result  of  her 
struggles  —  hatred  of  Popery  and  love  of  power 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  253 

In  recording  the  principal  facts  of  the  revolution  in  Eng- 
land, one  naturally  feels  a  reluctance,  as  a  Catholic,  to  treat 
those  men  with  contempt  who  supported  that  religion  in 
Great  Britain ;  but,  on  a  close  investigation,  we  see  the 
justice  of  disliking  those  who,  by  their  blind  zeal  and  rash- 
ness, compromised  and  rendered  the  true  doctrine  of  Christ 
unpopular  in  England,  by  making  it  a  handle  for  a  party,  and 
the  instrument  of  their  passions.  Their  conduct  should  be 
branded  ;  for  never  had  the  Catholic  religion  found  so  genial 
a  soil  as  that  of  England,  to  rule  by  the  purity  of  its  princi- 
ples and  its  moral  influence.  Persecuted  by  the  royal  power, 
it  followed  the  example  of  the  aristocracy,  and  to  avenge  its 
wrongs  put  itself  at  the  head  of  the  national  liberties.  This 
was  an  admirable  position  for  action,  for  it  was  independent 
of  the  temporal  power,  only  acknowledging  as  chief  the  Chief 
of  the  universal  church,  while  the  Anglicans  then  only  derived 
their  rights  and  privileges  from  the  will  and  power  of  the 
head  of  the  government.  But  the  Catholic  clergy,  dazzled 
by  worldly  interests,  lost  themselves  by  joining  the  oppressors 
of  the  people  instead  of  joining  the  oppressed.  Every  en- 
lightened mind  was  so  well  convinced  that  the  Stuarts  were 
about  to  ruin  the  cause  of  religion,  that  Pope  Innocent  IX. 
loudly  expressed  his  displeasure  at  the  imprudent  conduct 
of  James  II.,  and  the  cardinals  of  Rome  said,  jestingly,  that 
"  James  II.  ought  to  be  excommunicated,  as  a  man  who  was 
about  to  destroy  the  remnant  of  Catholicism  that  was  left  in 
England." 

The  Prince  of  Orange  did  not  abuse  his  triumph  on  the 
first  feeling  of  enthusiasm  which  the  people  entertained  for 
their  deliverer.  William  did  not  come  to  take  a  crown  by 
assault ;  he  came  to  consolidate  the  destinies  of  England  ;  he 
had  destroyed  the  principle  of  hereditary  succession,  a  prin- 
ciple hitherto  regarded  as  inviolable  and  sacred  ;  and  he  could 
only  combat  it  by  another  principle,  that  of  the  sovereignty 
of  the  people.  An  acquired  and  acknowledged  right  can 
only  be  done  away  by  giving  in  its  stead  another  right, 
22 


254  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

legally  acquired  and  acknowledged.  Counsellors  were  not 
wanting  who  advised  him  to  take  possession  of  the  govern- 
ment by  right  of  conquest,  as  William  the  Conqueror  had 
done,  forgetting  that  six  hundred  years  of  civilization  had 
added  more  to  the  strength  of  the  national  right  than  to  tnat 
of  the  sword.  Others  also  urged  him  to  seize  the  crown, 
representing  the  dangers  of  anarchy,  that  convenient  phantom 
which  always  serves  as  an  excuse  to  tyranny. 

William  remained  firm  ;  he  would  not  be  an  usurper. 

His  conduct  was  reserved  and  dignified  ;  he  had  remained 
unmoved  amidst  the  passions  which  raged  around  him,  and 
had  not  entered  into  any  intrigues  either  with  the  electors  or 
members  of  Parliament.  He  was  frequently  blamed  for  his 
cold  and  distant  manner  to  those  whose  interest  he  required  ; 
but  William's  great  mind  disdained  popularity  acquired  by 
meanness.  This  was  indeed  a  sublime  proof  that  he  was 
not  dazzled  by  the  splendor  of  a  crown,  but  that  he  was 
desirous  of  fulfilling  his  mission,  and  of  rendering  his  cause 
triumphant. 

What  means  shall  he  employ  to  surmount  them  ?  One 
only,  and  it  will  succeed.  It  is  to  remain  faithful  to  the 
cause  of  the  revolution  which  had  summoned  him,  and  to 
render  it  triumphant  at  home  by  its  justice,  and  formidable 
abroad  by  its  boldness. 

Though  there  was  a  party  opposed  to  the  new  state  of 
things,  which  was  called  the  republican  or  revolutionary 
party,  they  kept  quiet,  which  proved  that  if  they  did  not 
make  common  cause  with  William,  they  still  thought  that 
he  guaranteed  the  general  interests  against  the  common 
enemy.  There  were  also  some  of  those  fanatics  who  place 
the  destinies  of  their  country  on  the  point  of  the  dagger,  who 
attempted  the  king's  life ;  but  they  were  sent  back  with  con- 
tempt to  the  ordinary  tribunals,  under  the  idea  that  giving 
too  much  publicity  to  an  attempt  at  assassination  was  en- 
couraging others. 

The  Stuarts  never  sought  by  the  application  of  any  great 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  255 

principle,  whether  they  could  assure  the  prosperity  and  inde- 
pendence of  their  country,  but  by  what  little  expedients,  by 
what  hidden  intrigues,  they  could  support  their  always  troubled 
power. 

They  desired  to  re-establish  Catholicity  :  they  annihilated 
it  for  centuries  in  England.  They  wished  to  elevate  royalty  : 
they  only  compromised  it.  They  wished  to  assure  order,  and 
they  brought  confusion  on  confusion.  It  is  a  true  saying, 
then,  that 

The  greatest  enemy  to  religion  is  the  man  who  would 
impose  it ;  the  greatest  foe  to  royalty  is  he  who  degrades  it ; 
the  greatest  enemy  to  the  repose  of  his  country  is  he  who 
renders  a  revolution  necessary. 

Let  us  now  consider  what  would  have  been  the  consequen- 
ces, if  the  prince,  after  having  dethroned  James  II.,  and 
violated  the  hereditary  principle,  had  accepted  the  throne 
from  James  II.  's  last  Parliament,  and  instead  of  convoking 
a  National  Assembly  —  the  free  expression  of  the  popular 
will  —  had  held  his  authority  from  a  bastard  Assembly,  who 
would  not  have  any  right  to  present  him  with  it. 

William  III.  satisfied  the  exigencies  of  nis  reign,  and  re- 
established public  order ;  but  had  he  followed  the  Stuart 
policy  he  would  have  destroyed  it,  and  the  enemies  of  the 
English  nation,  on  again  witnessing  a  desire  for  change, 
would  have  accused  the  people  of  inconsistency  and.  frivolity, 
instead  of  accusing  the  government  of  blindness  and  perfidy. 
It  would  have  been  asserted  that  England  was  an  ungovern- 
able nation. 

The  history  of  England  calls  loudly  to  monarchs,  March 
at  the  head  of  the  ideas  of  your  age,  and  then  these 
ideas  will  follow  and  support  you. 

If  you  march  behind  them,  they  will  drag  you  on. 

And  if  you  march  against  them,  they  will  certainly 
prove  your  downfall. 


256  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


NO.    II. 

Louis  Napoleon's  Letter  respecting  his  Father,  to  the  Minister  of 

the  Interior. 

Fortress  of  Ham,  Dec.  25,  1845. 

Sir  :  My  father,  whose  age  and  infirmities  require  the  at- 
tention of  a  son,  has  asked  the  government  to  allow  me  to 
join  him. 

His  application  has  not  been  attended  with  a  favorable 
result. 

The  government,  I  am  told,  requires  a  formal  guarantee 
from  me.  In  such  circumstances  my  determination  cannot 
be  doubtful.  I  am  ready  to  do  every  thing  compatible  with 
my  honor,  in  order  to  offer  to  my  father  those  consolations  to 
which  he  has  so  many  claims. 

I  now,  therefore,  declare  to  you,  sir,  that  if  the  French 
government  consent  to  allow  me  to  go  to  Florence,  to  dis- 
charge a  sacred  duty,  I  promise,  upon  my  honor,  to  return 
and  to  place  myself  at  the  disposal  of  the  government,  as 
soon  as  it  shall  express  a  desire  that  I  shall  do  so. 
Accept,  sir,  the  expression  of  my  high  esteem. 

Napoleon  Louis  Bonaparte. 


No.  III. 

Letter  to  Louis  Napoleon  respecting  the  Nicaragua  Canal. 

Leon  de  Nicaragua,  Dec.  6.  1845. 

Prince  :  It  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  I  acknowledge 
the  receipt  of  your  highness's  letter,  dated  the  12th  of 
August,  containing  the  expression  of  sentiments  of  friend- 
ship and  esteem  with  which  I  feel  highly  honored.  Annexed 
to  it  I  found  the  development  of  your  ideas  relative  to  the 
canal  of  Nicaragua,  viewed  by  you  in  that  light  which  is 
best  calculated  to  promote  the  welfare  of  Central  America. 
You,  at  the  same  time,  acquaint  me  that  you  are  far  more 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  25T 

disposed  than  when  I  first  paid  you  a  visit  at  Ham  to  come 
to  this  country,  in  order  to  advance,  by  your  presence  and 
exertions,  the  execution  of  that  great  work,  sufficient  of  itself 
to  satisfy  the  most  noble  ambition,  and  that  you  are  ready  to 
accept  the  necessary  powers  for  its  execution,  without  any 
other  view  than  that  of  performing  a  task  worthy  of  the  great 
name  you  possess. 

When  I  went  to  France,  some  time  ago,  as  minister  pleni- 
potentiary to  his  majesty  the  King  of  the  French,  I  was 
anxious,  before  leaving  Europe,  to  pay  you  a  visit  at  Ham. 
I  longed  for  the  honor  of  seeing  you,  not  only  on  account  of 
the  popularity  which  invested  your  name  throughout  the 
world,  but  also  because  I  had  myself  witnessed  the  high 
esteem  in  which  your  character  was  held  in  your  own  coun- 
try, and  the  sympathy  exhibited  for  your  misfortunes. 

It  was  also  my  wish,  prince,  to  prevail  on  you  to  come  to 
my  country,  fully  convinced  that  you  would  find  there  an  ad- 
mirable opportunity  for  the  display  of  your  activity,  and  the 
exercise  of  your  talents,  which  continued  inaction  might  ex- 
haust. I  admired,  prince,  your  resignation,  and  the  love  of 
your  native  land,  standing  even  the  test  of  imprisonment ; 
but  it  was  with  great  pleasure  that  I  saw  your  mind  exulted 
at  the  recital  of  the  immense  work  to  be  executed  in  my 
country  for  the  general  advancement  of  civilization. 

I  am  happy  to  see  by  your  highness 's  letter,  that  you  feel 
disposed  to  come  to  this  country,  where  the  documents  you 
have  forwarded  to  me  have  elicited  sentiments  of  the  deepest 
gratitude  and  of  the  liveliest  enthusiasm. 

Now,  I  am  happy  to  be  enabled  to  acquaint  your  highness 
that  the  government  of  this  state,  fully  convinced  that  the 
capital  necessary  to  this  undertaking  could  only  be  raised  by 
placing  at  its  head  a  name  which,  like  yours,  is  independent 
both  by  fortune  and  standing,  and  thereby  inspiring  a  gene- 
ral confidence  in  the  two  worlds,  whilst  it  dispels  from  the 
easily  alarmed  spirit  of  our  people  every  fear  of  foreign 
domination — this  government,  I  say,  relies  upon  the  co-ope- 
22*  r 


258  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

ration  of  your  highness,  as  the  only  person  combining  in  the 
highest  degree  these  different  qualities.  Brought  up  in  a 
republic,  your  highness  has  shown  by  your  noble  behavior  in 
Switzerland,  in  1838,  to  what  extent  a  free  people  may  rely 
on  your  self-denial ;  and  we  feel  convinced  that,  if  your  uncle, 
the  great  Napoleon,  has  rendered  himself  immortal  by  his 
military  glory,  your  highness  may  acquire,  with  us,  an  equal 
glory  in  works  of  peace,  which  cause  only  tears  of  gratitude 
to  flow. 

From  the  day  on  which  your  highness  shall  set  foot  on 
our  soil,  a  new  era  of  prosperity  for  the  inhabitants  will 
commence. 

The  most  influential  persons  of  this  capital,  distinguished 
both  by  their  learning  and  their  wealth,  have  presented  to 
the  government  a  memorial  recommending  that  your  high- 
ness be  entrusted  with  the  final  settlement  and  terms  of  the 
impending  negotiation,  or  of  any  other  which  might  present 
itself — intended  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  State  of  Nica- 
ragua. The  government  has  not  rejected  the  suggestion,  but 
it  appears  that,  at  all  events,  it  will  feel  disposed  to  send  me 
to  you  with  the  necessary  instructions,  to  enable  your  high- 
ness and  myself  to  come  to  an  understanding  on  the  subject. 

Another  cause  of  the  delay  is  the  recent  popular  outbreak 
in  the  country  ;  but  the  number  of  malcontents  being  exceed- 
ingly small,  and  the  government  being  supported  by  public 
opinion,  I  think  that  this  revolution  will  soon  be  appeased, 
and  the  government  will  be  able  to  display  all  the  elements 
upon  which  it  relies  to  insure  permanent  peace,  and  to  give 
this  project  the  strong  impulse  it  justly  demands.  The  go- 
vernment is  moreover  convinced  that  the  construction  of  the 
canal,  by  giving  employment  to  all  those  hands  which  are 
now  unoccupied,  will  contribute  efficaciously  to  the  tranquil- 
ity and  g3od  of  the  people,  harassed,  for  a  long  time,  by  the 
horrors  of  civil  war. 

As  much  from  a  desire  of  bringing  to  a  favorable  issue  this 
important  matter,  in  which  I  am  especially  disposed  to  co- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  259 

operate  with  all  my  ability,  as  from  an  ardent  hope  of  seeing 
your  highness  ruling  the  destinies  of  our  country,  I  long  for 
the  honor  of  paying  you,  were  it  but  a  few  hours,  a  visit  at 
Ham,  which  I  quitted  last  year  full  of  grief  at  the  prolonga- 
tion of  a  captivity  from  which  I  earnestly  prayed  God  to  grant 
you  a  speedy  release. 

I  beg  that  your  highness  will  continue  to  honor  me  with 
your  correspondence,  and  that  you  will  accept  the  expression 
of  my  respectful  sentiments. 

Franc.  Castellan. 


No.  IT. 

Letter  of  Odillon  Barrot  to  the  Prince  Napoleon. 

Feb.  25,  1846. 

Prince  :  Our  renewed  negotiations  have  proved  a  failure ; 
and  if  I  have  delayed  to  inform  you  of  the  fact,  it  was 
because  up  to  yesterday  I  still  retained  some  hope.  The 
government  speaks  of  present  circumstances  —  the  state 
of  Italy — that  of  Switzerland.  These  circumstances  would, 
nevertheless,  have  been  overlooked,  had  a  more  explicit  gua- 
rantee been  given  in  your  letter,  because  then  they  would 
have  dispensed  with  the  council  of  ministers.  But  politics 
not  having  been  put  out  of  the  question,  it  was  necessary  to 
yield  to  the  considerations  of  public  order  which  prevailed  in 
the  council.  So,  for  the  present,  considering  the  circum- 
stances, no  liberation  is  to  be  looked  for. 

It  is  with  great  pain  that  I  inform  you  of  this  result ;  I 
had  begged  Yalmy  to  say  to  the  king,  that  if  we  had  com- 
pletely differed,  since  1830,  in  political  opinions,  I  hoped 
that,  at  least,  we  agreed  in  sentiments  of  humanity  and  gene- 
rosity. I  now  see  that  this  is  another  of  my  Utopian  ideas, 
which  I  shall  be  compelled  to  renounce. 

Accept,  &c. 

Odillon  Barrot. 


260  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 


No.  V. 

Louis  Napoleon's  Letter  to  M.  Vieillard. 

Lonpon,  May  11,  1848. 

My  Dear  M.  Yieillard  :  I  have  not  yet  answered  the  let- 
ter which  you  addressed  me  from  St.  Lo,  because  I  was  wait- 
ing your  return  to  Paris,  when  I  would  have  an  opportunity 
to  explain  my  conduct. 

I  was  not  desirous  to  present  myself  as  candidate  at  the 
elections,  because  I  am  convinced  my  position  in  the  Assem- 
bly would  have  been  extremely  embarrassing.  My  name,  my 
antecedents,  have  made  of  me,  willing  or  unwilling,  not  a  party 
chief,  but  a  man  upon  whom  the  eyes  of  all  malcontents  are 
fixed.  As  long  as  French  society  shall  remain  unsettled,  as 
long  as  the  constitution  shall  remain  undecided,  I  feel  that 
my  position  in  France  will  be  to  me  extremely  difficult,  weari- 
some, and  even  dangerous. 

I  have  then  taken  the  firm  resolution  of  keeping  myself 
apart,  and  of  resisting  all  the  charms  a  residence  in  my  own 
country  should  possess. 

If  France  needed  me ;  if  my  part  were  marked  out ;  if,  in 
short,  I  thought  I  could  be  useful  to  my  country, — I  would 
not  hesitate  to  fling  aside  these  secondary  considerations,  and 
to  fulfil  my  duty.  But,  in  the  present  circumstances,  I  can 
do  no  good  ;  at  most,  I  should  only  be  in  the  way. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  have  important  personal  interests  to 
attend  to  in  England  ;  I  shall  wait  here  a  few  months  longer 
theu,  until  affairs  in  France  assume  a  calmer  and  more  de- 
cided aspect. 

I  do  not  know  but  that  you  will  blame  me  for  this  resolu- 
tion ;  but,  if  you  had  an  idea  of  the  number  of  ridiculous 
propositions  that  reach  me  even  here,  you  would  easily  under- 
stand how  much  more  I  should  be  a  butt  in  Paris  for  all  sorts 
of  intrigues. 

I  do  not  want  to  meddle  in  any  thing ;  I  desire  to  see  the 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  261 

republic  become  strong  in  wisdom  and  in  rights,  and,  in  the 
mean  time,  I  find  voluntary  exile  very  agreeable,  because  I 
know  it  to  be  voluntary. 

Receive,  &c. 

L.  N.  Bonaparte. 


No.  VI. 

Letter  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  the  National  Assembly. 

Citizen  Representatives  :  I  learn,  by  the  newspapers, 
that  it  has  been  proposed  in  the  National  Assembly  to  main- 
tain against  me  alone  the  law  of  exile  which  has  been  in  force 
against  my  family  since  the  year  1816;  I  now  apply  to  the 
representatives  of  the  people  for  information  why  I  have  de- 
served such  a  penalty. 

Can  it  be  for  having  always  publicly  declared  that,  in  my 
opinion,  France  was  not  the  property  either  of  an  individual, 
or  of  a  family,  or  of  a  party  ? 

Can  it  be  because,  desiring  to  accomplish  the  triumph, 
without  anarchy  or  license,  of  the  principles  of  national  sove- 
reignty, which  alone  can  put  an  end  to  our  dissensions,  I  have 
been  twice  the  victim  of  my  hostility  to  a  government  which 
you  have  overthrown  ? 

Can  it  be  for  having  consented,  out  of  deference  to  the  wish 
of  the  provisional  government,  to  return  to  a  foreign  country 
after  having  hastened  to  Paris  upon  the  first  report  of  the 
revolution  ? 

Can  it  be  for  having  disinterestedly  refused  those  nomina- 
tions for  the  Assembly  which  were  proffered  to  me,  being 
resolved  not  to  return  to  France  until  the  new  constitution 
should  be  agreed  upon  and  the  republic  firmly  established  ? 

The  same  reasons  which  have  made  me  take  up  arms 
against  the  government  of  Louis  Philippe,  would  induce  me, 
were  my  services  required,  to  devote  myself  to  the  defence  of 
the  Assembly  —  the  result  of  universal  suffrage. 


262  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

In  presence  of  a  king  elected  by  two  hundred  deputies,  I 
might  have  recollected  that  I  was  heir  to  an  empire  founded 
by  the  consent  of  four  millions  of  Frenchmen. 

In  the  presence  of  the  national  sovereignty  I  neither  can 
nor  will  claim  more  than  my  rights  as  a  French  citizen  ;  but 
these  I  will  demand  incessantly,  and  with  the  energy  imparted 
to  an  honest  heart  by  the  consciousness  of  never  having  done 
any  thing  to  render  it  unworthy  of  its  country. 


No.  VII. 

Curious  Scene  in  the  National  Assembly. 

The  papers  of  the  24th  of  October,  1848,  contained  the 
following  letter,  signed  by  Prince  Napoleon,  son  of  Jerome  : 

"Some  well-informed  persons  having  warned  representa- 
tive Louis  Bonaparte  that  certain  simpletons  were  secretly 
laboring  to  get  up  a  riot  in  his  name,  with  the  evident  object 
of  compromising  him  in  the  eyes  of  men  of  order,  and  of  sin- 
cere republicans,  Louis  Napoleon  considered  it  his  duty  to 
make  M.  Dufaure,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  aware  of  these 
reports  ;  he  added  that  he  utterly  denied  any  participation  in 
dealings  so  completely  opposed  to  his  political  sentiments, 
and  to  the  conduct  which  he  has  invariably  pursued  since  the 
24th  of  February." 

The  appearance  of  this  note  was  the  occasion  of  a  violent 
altercation  in  the  Assembly. 

M.  Grandin  asked  the  minister  for  some  explanation  re- 
garding this  note,  and  the  information  alluded  to  by  the 
prince.  M.  Dufaure  replied  that  he  had  himself  heard  of 
hese  reports,  and  added  that  he  had  immediately  re-assured 
Louis  Napoleon,  by  telling  him  that  he  was  misinformed,  and 
that  no  plot  of  such  a  nature  was  in  contemplation. 

Hereupon  Prince  Napoleon  stepped  towards  the  tribune. 

The  following  almost  verbal  report  of  the  ensuing  scene  is 
not  without  interest : 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  203 

Voice  on  the  Left  (to  Prince  Napoleon).  — It  is  not  your 
business  to  speak.  The  other  one  must  speak  —  Louis  Bo- 
naparte ! 

Several  Members.  —  He  is  absent. 

Many  members  of  the  Left,  rising  from  their  seats,  look  in 
the  direction  of  M.  Louis  Bonaparte's  usual  place  :  they  per- 
ceive that  his  seat  is  occupied  by  another  representative. 
They  cry  out  none  the  less  to  M.  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  still 
making  his  way  to  the  tribune:  No,  not  you  —  the  other  one. 

M.  N.  Bonaparte  (in  the  tribune). — I  do  not  come — (loud 
interruption). 

Numerous  Voices.  —  Not  you  !     The  other,  the  other  1 

M.  N.  Bonaparte  struggles  against  the  interruptions  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour ;  at  last  silence  is  restored,  and  he  in- 
sists that  he  has  a  right  to  speak  on  the  subject,  since  he  is 
the  author  of  the  letter.  He  explains  that  it  was  sent  to  the 
papers  with  the  particular  purpose  to  prove  that  the  Bonaparte 
family  never  had  anything  to  do,  and  never  would  have  any- 
thing to  do,  with  riots.  As  soon  as  he  left  the  tribune, 
representative  Clement-Thomas  occupied  it. 

M.  Clement- Thomas.  —  Gentlemen,  I  know  it  is  a  failing 
of  mine  to  be  always  wanting  to  sift  things  to  the  bottom ; 
and  I  am  afraid  this  unpleasant  feature  in  my  character  is 
going  to  make  its  appearance  again  to-day.  But  I  must  say, 
I  am  astonished  that  when  a  matter  personally  concerning 
one  member  of  this  Assembly  is  brought  before  you,  it  is 
another  member  that  appears  to  answer  for  it.  (Interruption 
— uproar.) 

A  Voice.  — The  other  is  absent. 

31.  Clement-  Thomas.  —  It  is  not  the  first  time  that  I 
remark  the  absence  of  representative  Louis  Bonaparte  from 
this  Assembly. 

Several  Members.  — What  is  that  to  you  ? 

A  Member.  —  This  is  scandalous. 

M.  Clement-  Thomas. — It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  that 
I  speak  here  in  nobody's  name  ;  no  more  for  any  party  in  the 


264  Pi:  B  LIC    AND     PRIVATE     HISTORY 

Assembly  than  for  the  government.  No  one  is  responsible 
for  my  words  but  myself.  Well,  then,  I  repeat  it,  it  is  not 
the  first  time  that  I  remark  the  absence  of  M.  Louis  Bona- 
parte.    (New  interruption.) 

A  Voice.  —  He  is  never  here. 

Another  Voice.  —  He  never  votes. 

M.  Clement- Thomas. — And  when  I  say  this  I  know  why 
I  say  it.  You  cannot  deny  that  there  are  certain  members 
of  this  Assembly  who  are  about  to  present  themselves  to  the 
country  as  candidates  for  very  elevated  and  very  important 
offices.  (Vociferous  exclamations — many  members  grouped 
in  the  passage  on  the  right  of  the  tribune,  among  whom  are 
MM.  N.  Bonaparte,  Pierre  Bonaparte,  Petri,  &c,  loudly 
interrupt  the  orator.) 

The  President  Marrast  (  ringing  his  bell).  —  The  repre- 
sentatives standing  in  the  passage  will  please  resume  their 
seats. 

By  this  time  a  violent  agitation  pervades  the  Assembly 
generally. 

M.  Clement- Thomas. — I  say  that  several  members  of  this 
Assembly  are  about  to  offer  themselves  to  the  people.  But  it 
is  not  by  hardly  ever  attending  your  sittings,  it  is  not  by 
taking  no  part  in  your  voting,  it  is  not  by  maintaining  a 
reserved  silence  on  whence  we  come,  where  we  go,  what  we 
want,  that  we  can  pretend  to  gain  the  confidence  of  such  a 
country  as  France.  For  my  part,  I  suspect  such  tactics. 
(Interruption.) 

M.  N.  Bonaparte  (quickly).  — Vote  against  them  then. 

Some  Members.  —  Order,  order  1 

President  Marrast. — Monsier  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  if  you 
interrupt  again  I  shall  call  you  to  order. 

M  Clement- Thomas.  —  Since  M.  Napoleon  Bonaparte  is 
so  ready  to  answer  for  his  cousin 

Several  Voices.  —  He  has  spoken  for  him  already. 

M  Clement-  Thomas. — I  will  ask  him  if  it  is  not  true  that 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  265 

at  this  very  moment  agents  are  canvassing  the  provinces  for 
M.  Louis  Bonaparte. 

Some  Members.  — Well,  what  of  that? 

M  Clement- Thomas. — I  will  ask  him  if  it  is  not  true  that 
in  every  department  they  are  presenting  him  to  the  least  en- 
lightened portion  of  the  population  ?  And  if  this  be  true,  I 
ask  M.  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  on  what  title  does  his  cousin 
put  forward  his  claims  ?     (Interruption.) 

M.  Isambert.  — On  his  title  of  citizen. 

M.  N.  Bonaparte.  —  Are  we  here  to  discuss  candidates 
for  the  presidency  ? 

M.  Clement- Thomas. — M.  Isambert  tells  me  that  every 
citizen  has  a  right  to  present  himself  to  the  suffrages  of  his 
country  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  pretensions  of  this  nature 
should  be  supported  by  real  titles. 

M.  Pierre  Bonaparte.  — That  is  impertinent,  sir. 

31.  Pietri. — Totally  unbecoming  !  Who  made  you  a  judge 
of  titles  ? 

M.  N.  Bonaparte  (indignantly). — We  may  be  proscribed, 
but  we  must  not  be  insulted  1     (General  tumult.) 

M.  Clement-Thomas,  seeing  he  has  gone  too  far,  leaves 
the  tribune,  amidst  unmistakable  marks  of  universal  disap- 
probation. 

Perhaps  he  wished  Louis  Napoleon  to  send  him  a  challenge. 

"  One  would  think,"  said  a  general  on  his  way  home,  after 
this,  scene:  "one  would  think  that  M.  Clement-Thomas  has 
sufficient  confidence  in  his  sword,  to  rely  upon  it  altogether 
for  simplifying  the  presidential  election." 


No.  VIII. 

Speech  of  Louis  Napoleon  in  the  National  Assembly. 

Of  my  sentiments  or  of  my  opinions  I  shall  not  speak  ;   I 
have  already  set  them  before  you,  and  no  one  as  yet  has  had 
reason  to  doubt  my  word.    As  to  my  parliamentary  conduct, 
23 


266  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

I  will  say  that  as  I  never  permit  myself  the  liberty  of  bringing 
any  of  my  colleagues  to  an  account  for  the  course  which  he 
thinks  proper  to  pursue,  so,  in  like  manner,  I  never  recognize 
in  him  the  right  to  call  me  to  an  account  for  mine ;  this 
account  I  owe  only  to  my  constituents.     (Hear,  hear  !) 

Of  what  am  I  accused  ?  Of  accepting  from  the  popular 
sentiment  a  nomination  after  which  I  have  not  sought.  (Dis- 
turbance.) Well  !  I  accept  this  nomination,  that  does  me 
bo  much  honor ;  I  accept  it,  because  three  successive  elections, 
and  the  unanimous  decree  of  the  National  Assembly,  reversing 
the  proscriptions  against  my  family,  authorize  me  to  believe 
that  France  regards  the  name  I  bear  to  be  serviceable  for  the 
consolidation  of  society,  now  shaken  to  its  foundations,  — 
(Oh,  oh  1  interruption)  —  and  for  the  establishment  and 
prosperity  of  the  republic. 

How  little  do  those  who  charge  me  with  ambition  know  my 
heart  1  If  an  imperative  duty  did  not  keep  me  here,  if  the 
sympathy  of  my  fellow-citizens  did  not  console  me  for  the 
violence  of  the  attacks  of  some,  and  even  for  the  impetuosity 
of  the  defences  of  others,  long  since  would  I  have  regretted 
my  exile.  (Citizens  Clement-Thomas  and  Flocon  start  up  to 
speak.     Commotion.     Cries  of  order  !  order  !) 

I  am  reproached  for  my  silence  !  Few  persons  here  are 
gifted  with  the  faculty  of  eloquent  speech  obedient  to  just  and 
sound  ideas.  But  is  there  only  one  way  to  serve  our  country  ? 
What  she  wants  most  of  all  is  acts ;  what  she  wants  is  a 
government,  firm,  intelligent,  and  wise,  more  desirous  to  heal 
the  evils  of  society  than  to  avenge  them — a  government  that 
would  openly  set  itself  at  the  head  of  just  ideas,  and  thus 
repel  a  thousand  times  more  effectually  than  with  bayonets 
those  theories  which  are  not  founded  on  experience  and 
reason. 

I  know  that  parties  intend  to  set  my  path  with  pits  and 
snares ;  but  I  shall  not  fall  into  them.  I  shall  always  follow, 
in  my  own  way,  the  course  which  I  have  traced  out,  without 
troubling  myself  or  stopping  to  see  who  is  pleased.    Nothing 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  267 

shall  interrupt  ray  tranquillity,  nothing  shall  induce  me  to 
forget  my  duty.  I  have  but  one  aim  ;  it  is  to  merit  the 
esteem  of  the  Assembly,  and  with  this  esteem,  that  of  all  good 
men,  and  the  confidence  of  that  magnanimous  people  that 
was  made  so  light  of  here  yesterday.     (Exclamations.) 

I  declare  then  to  those  who  may  be  willing  to  organize  a 
system  of  provocation  against  me,  that,  henceforward,  I  shall 
reply  to  no  questioning,  to  no  species  of  attack,  to  none  who 
would  have  me  speak  when  I  prefer  to  be  silent.  Strong  in 
the  approval  of  my  conscience,  I  shall  remain  immovable 
amidst  all  attacks,  impassible  towards  all  calumnies. 

No.  IX. 
First  Inaugural  Address  of  President  Napoleon. 

The  prince  slowly  ascended  the  tribune,  and  turned  his  face 
towards  the  president,  who,  in  a  loud  and  deliberate  voice, 
read  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  constitution  : 

"  In  the  presence  of  God,  and  before  the  French  people, 
represented  by  the  National  Assembly,  you  swear  to  remain 
faithful  to  the  democratic  republic,  and  to  defend  the  consti- 
tution." 

"  I  swear,"  said  the  prince,  earnestly,  holding  up  his  right 
hand. 

"I  take  God  and  man  to  witness  the  oath  just  sworn,'* 
cried  the  President  Marrast.  "It  shall  be  inserted  in  the 
official  report,  in  the  Moniteur,  and  published  in  the  form3 
prescribed  by  the  public  acts."  These  words,  which  might 
be  considered  as  rather  uncalled  for,  produced  an  evident  im- 
pression on  all  present ;  but  the  new  president  of  the  republic 
took  no  notice  of  it,  and  read  the  following  inaugural  dis- 
course : 

Citizen  Representatives  :  The  suffrages  of  the  nation 
and  the  oath  which  I  have  taken  command  my  future  conduct. 
My  duty  is  marked  out ;  I  shall  fulfil  it  as  a  man  of  honor. 


268  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

I  shall  treat  as  enemies  of  the  country  all  those  who  may 
attempt  to  change,  by  illegal  means,  what  entire  France  has 
established. 

Between  you  and  me,  citizen  representatives,  no  real  dis- 
sensions should  exist :  our  wills,  our  desires  are  the  same. 

I  wish,  like  you,  to  place  society  on  its  bases,  to  strengthen 
democratic  institutions,  and  to  try  every  means  to  relieve  the 
sufferings  of  the  generous  and  intelligent  people  that  has  just 
given  me  such  a  splendid  mark  of  confidence.     (Cheers.) 

The  majority  which  I  have  obtained  not  only  fills  me  with 
gratitude,  but  it  shall  impart  to  the  new  government  the  moral 
force  without  which  there  is  no  authority. 

With  the  re-establishment  of  peace  and  order,  our  country 
can  arise,  heal  her  wounds,  collect  her  stray  children,  and 
calm  her  passions. 

Animated  with  this  conciliatory  spirit,  I  have  called  around 
me  men  of  honesty,  talent,  and  patriotism,  fully  assured  that, 
notwithstanding  the  differences  of  their  political  origin,  they 
are  determined  to  co-operate  harmoniously  with  you  in  apply- 
ing the  constitution  to  the  perfection  of  the  laws,  to  the  glory 
of  the  republic.     (Marked  approbation.) 

The  new  administration,  in  entering  on  business,  must 
thank  its  predecessor  for  its  efforts  to  transmit  the  power  in- 
tact, and  to  maintain  public  tranquility.     (New  applause.) 

The  conduct  of  the  honorable  General  Cavaignac  has  been 
worthy  of  the  loyalty  of  his  character,  and  of  that  sentiment 
of  duty  which  is  the  first  qualification  of  the  head  of  a  State. 
(Loud  cheers.) 

We  have,  citizen  representatives,  a  great  mission  to  fulfil : 
it  is  to  found  a  republic  for  the  interest  of  all,  and  a  govern- 
ment just,  firm,  and  animated  with  a  sincere  love  of  progress, 
without  being  either  reactionary  or  Utopian. 

Let  us  be  men  of  the  country,  not  men  of  a  party,  and, 
with  the  assistance  of  God,  we  shall  accomplish  useful  if  not 
great  things. 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  269 


No.  X. 


Letter  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  his  Consul. 

Elysee  National,  April  10,  1849. 

My  dear  Cousin  :  It  is  said  that  on  your  way  through 
Bourdeauxyou  made  use  of  words  capable  of  sowing  dissen- 
sion even  among  the  best  intentioned.  You  are  reported  to 
have  said  that  I  did  not  follow  my  own  inspirations  because 
I  was  ruled  by  the  leaders  of  the  reactionary  movement ;  that 
I  was  impatient  of  the  yoke,  and  wanted  to  shake  it  off;  and 
that,  in  order  to  assist  me  at  the  approaching  elections,  it 
was  necessary  to  send  to  the  Chamber  men  hostile  to  my  go- 
vernment, rather  than  those  belonging  to  the  moderate  party. 

Such  an  imputation  coming  from  yon  cannot  but  surprise 
me.  You  should  know  me  well  enough  to  be  aware  that  I 
never  brook  the  ascendency  of  any  one,  and  that  I  struggle 
incessantly  to  govern  for  the  interest  of  the  people,  not  for 
the  interest  of  a  party.  I  honor  those  men  who  by  their  ca- 
pacity and  experience  can  give  me  good  counsels ;  but  if  I 
receive  daily  the  most  contradictory  advice,  I  obey  nothing 
but  the  impulses  of  my  own  head  and  heart. 

Censure  of  my  political  conduct  was  last  of  all  to  be  ex- 
pected from  you,  who  found  fault  with  ray  manifesto,  because 
it  had  received  the  entire  sanction  of  the  chiefs  of  the  mode- 
rate party.  This  manifesto,  from  which  I  have  not  deviated, 
still  continues  to  be  the  conscientious  expression  of  ray 
sentiments. 

My  first  duty  was  to  reassure  the  country.  Well,  confi- 
dence has  been  increasing  during  the  last  four  months.  Every 
day  has  its  own  task.      Security  first,  reform  afterwards. 

The  approaching  elections,  I  entertain  no  doubt,  by 
Strengthening  the  republic  in  order  and  moderation,  will 
hasten  the  period  of  all  possible  reforms.  To  bring  all  the 
old  parties  together,  to  reconcile  them,  to  unite  them,  should 
be  the  constant  o'nject  of  our  exertions.  Such  is  the  mission 
23* 


270  PUBLIC     AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

attached  to  the  great  name  we  bear ;  and  it  would  prove  a 
failure  if  it  served  to  divide  and  not  to  rally  the  supporters 
of  the  government. 

For  all  these  reasons  I  cannot  approve  of  your  being  no- 
minated by  a  score  of  departments  at  once ;  for,  consider  it 
well,  under  the  protection  of  your  name,  it  is  expected  to 
send  to  the  Assembly  representatives  hostile  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  to  discourage  its  best  friends  by  wearying  the 
people  with  multiplied  elections  which  should  be  made  over 
again. 

Henceforward,  then,  I  hope,  my  dear  cousin,  you  will  use 
every  exertion  to  enlighten  the  people  regarding  my  real  in- 
tentions, and  to  avoid  furnishing  grounds,  by  inconsiderate 
expressions,  for  absurd  calumnies  which  go  so  far  as  to  assert 
that  sordid  self-interest  alone  rules  my  conduct.  Nothing, 
repeat  it  aloud,  shall  trouble  the  serenity  of  my  judgment  or 
shake  the  strength  of  my  resolution. 

No.  XI. 

Proclamation  of  Louis  Napoleon. 
The  President  of  the  Republic  to  the  French  People. 

Some  factious  men  presume  once  more  to  lift  the  standard 
of  revolt  against  a  legitimate  government  —  legitimate,  be- 
cause it  is  the  production  of  universal  suffrage.  They  accuse 
me  of  having  violated  the  Constitution  —  me,  who  have  pa- 
tiently endured  for  six  months  all  their  sneers,  their  calum- 
nies, their  defiances. 

The  majority  of  the  Assembly  itself  is  the  constant  theme 
of  their  outrages. 

The  accusation  brought  against  me  is  only  a  pretext.  Of 
this  the  proof  is,  that  those  who  attack  me  now  persecuted 
me  with  the  same  hatred,  and  with  the  same  injustice,  at  the 
time  when  the  people  of  Paris  nominated  me  as  their  repre- 
sentative, and  the  people  of  France  as  president  of  their 
republic 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  2U 

This  system  of  agitation  maintains  a  state  of  uneasiness 
and  mistrust  that  entails  misery.     It  must  cease. 

It  is  time  for  the  good  to  take  courage  and  the  wicked  to 
tremble. 

The  republic  has  no  enemies  more  implacable  than  those 
men  who,  by  perpetuating  disorder,  compel  us  to  change 
France  into  a  vast  camp,  and  our  projects  for  amelioration 
and  progress  into  preparations  for  defence. 

Elected  by  the  nation,  the  cause  which  I  defend  is  your 
own.  It  is  that  of  your  family  as  of  your  property  ;  of  the 
poor  as  of  the  rich ;  that  of  civilization,  in  whole  and  in 
part. 

No.  XII. 

Annual  Message  of  President  Napoleon   to   the  Assembly, 
November,  1850. 

Our  arms  have  overthrown  that  turbulent  demagoguisrt 
which  has  compromised  the  cause  of  real  liberty  throughout 
the  Italian  peninsula,  and  our  brave  soldiers  have  had  the 
signal  honor  of  restoring  Pius  IX.  to  the  throne  of  St.  Peter. 
Party  spirit  shall  never  obscure  this  fact,  which  will  always 
form  a  glorious  page  in  the  history  of  France.  The  con- 
stant aim  of  our  exertions  has  been  to  encourage  the  liberal 
and  philanthropic  dispositions  of  the  Holy  Father.  The 
pontifical  power  continues  to  realize  the  promises  contained 
in  the  Motu  Proprio  of  September,  1849. 

Touching  questions  that  most  deeply  engaged  the  minds 
of  all,  the  message  spoke  with  reserve,  though  the  meaning 
of  several  passages  was  clear  enough.  Towards  the  end,  it 
said  : 

Notwithstanding  the  difficulty  of  circumstances,  law  and 
authority  have  so  far  recovered  their  empire  that  now  no  one 
dreams  of  the  success  of  violent  measures.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  more  fears  diminish  regarding  the  present, 
the  more  they  increase  regarding  the  future.     France  first 


272  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

of  all  wants  repose.  She  is  hardly  yet  recovered  from  the 
dangers  that  threatened  society,  and  remains  indifferent  to 
quarrels  between  parties  or  individuals,  in  the  presence  of 
the  great  interests  that  are  at  stake. 

Farther  on,  he  says  : 

As  first  magistrate  of  the  republic,  I  have  been  obliged  to 
put  myself  in  communication  with  the  clergy,  the  magistracy, 
the  agriculturists,  the  manufacturers,  the  people,  in  short, 
and  the  army  ;  and  I  have  taken  care  to  seize  every  oppor- 
tunity to  show  them  my  gratitude  for  the  support  they  have 
given  me.  If  my  name  and  my  efforts  have  succeeded  in 
arousing  the  spirit  of  the  army,  of  which  I  alone,  according 
to  the  terms  of  the  Constitution,  have  the  power  to  dispose, 
it  is  a  service,  I  venture  to  say,  which  I  have  rendered  the 
country,  for  I  have  always  directed  my  personal  influence  to 
the  advantage  of  order. 

It  is  now  permitted  to  every  one,  except  myself,  to  desire 
the  speedy  revision  of  our  fundamental  law.  If  the  Consti- 
tution contains  vices  and  dangers,  you  are  at  liberty  to  hold 
them  up  before  the  gaze  of  the  country.  I  alone,  bound 
down  by  my  oath,  circumscribe  myself  within  its  strictly 
drawn  limits. 

The  councils  general  have,  in  great  numbers,  expressed  a 
wish  for  its  revision.  This  wish  is  addressed  to  the  legisla- 
tive power.  As  for  me,  the  elect  of  the  people,  amenable 
but  to  the  people,  I  shall  always  conform  to  the  wishes  of 
the  people  legally  expressed. 

If  in  this  session  you  vote  the  revision  of  the  Constitution, 
our  fundamental  laws  shall  be  reformed,  and  the  system  of 
the  executive  authority  regulated ;  if  you  do  not  vote  it,  the 
people,  in  1852,  will  solemnly  manifest  the  expression  of 
their  new  wishes.  But  whatever  may  be  the  solutions  of 
the  future,  let  us  understand  each  other,  so  that  it  may  never 
be  left  to  passion,  or  surprise,  or  violence,  to  decide  the  fate 
of  a  great  nation.  Let  us  inspire  the  people  with  a  love  of 
repose,  by  introducing  calmness  into  our  deliberations  ■  let 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  273 

us  ir.spire  them  with  a  love  of  rectitude,  by  never  forgetting 
its  dictates  ourselves  :  then,  rely  upon  it,  the  progress  made 
in  our  political  morals  will  compensate  for  the  danger  of  in- 
stitutions created  in  days  of  suspicions  and  uncertainties. 

What  occupies  me  especially  is,  not  to  know  who  shall 
govern  France  in  1852,  but  to  employ  the  time  at  my  disposal 
in  such  a  manner  that  the  transition,  whatever  it  may  be, 
may  take  place  without  trouble  or  agitation. 

The  employment  which  is  noblest  and  worthiest  of  a  gene- 
rous soul  is,  not  to  seek,  when  one  is  in  power,  by  what  ex- 
pedients he  can  retain  himself  there,  but  to  seek  incessantly 
for  the  means  of  consolidating,  for  the  benefit  of  all,  those 
principles  of  authority  and  morality  which  are  continually 
struggling  with  the  passions  of  men  and  the  instability  of  the 
laws. 

I  have  loyally  opened  my  heart  to  you  ;  you  will  corre- 
spond to  my  frankness  by  your  confidence,  to  my  good  inten- 
tions by  your  co-operation,  and  God  will  do  the  rest. 


No.  XIII. 

Famous  Speech  of  President  Napoleon  at  Dijon. 

I  wish  that  such  persons  as  entertain  apprehensions  regard- 
ing the  future  had  accompanied  me  through  the  populations 
of  the  Yonne  and  the  Cote  d'Or.  They  would  have  had 
their  minds  set  at  rest  by  being  able  to  judge  for  themselves 
of  the  real  state  of  public  feeling.  They  would  have  seen 
that  neither  intrigue,  nor  attacks,  nor  passionate  discussions 
of  parties  are  in  harmony  with  the  sentiments  and  the  situa- 
tion of  the  country. 

France  does  not  wish  either  the  return  of  the  ancient 
regime — no  matter  under  what  form  it  may  be  disguised — or 
the  trial  of  evil  and  impracticable  Utopias.  It  is  because  I 
am  the  most  natural  adversary  of  the  one  and  the  other,  that- 
she  has  placed  her  confidence  in  me.     If  it  be  not  so,  how 

8 


274  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

else  can  be  explained  this  touching  sympathy  entertained  by 
the  people  towards  me,  which,  whilst  it  repels  the  most 
ruinous  controversies,  absolves  me  from  being  the  cause  of 
their  sufferings  ? 

In  fact,  if  my  government  has  not  realized  all  the  ameliora- 
tions which  it  has  had  in  view,  the  blame  lies  in  the  manoeuvres 
of  factions  which  paralyze  the  good  dispositions  of  Assem- 
blies, as  well  as  those  of  governments  the  most  devoted  to 
the  public  good.  For  the  last  three  years  it  could  be  remarked 
that  I  was  always  seconded  whenever  the  question  was  to 
subdue  disorder  by  coercive  enactments.  And  whenever  I 
wished  to  do  good,  to  establish  the  landed  influence  or  to 
ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  poorer  classes,  I  met  with 
nothing  but  inertness.  It  is  because  you  have  shared  those 
convictions  that  I  have  found  in  patriotic  Burgundy  such  a 
reception  as  is  at  once  for  me  both  approbation  and  encou- 
ragement. 

I  take  advantage  of  this  banquet,  as  if  it  were  a  public 
tribune,  to  open  to  my  fellow-citizens  the  bottom  of  my  heart. 
A  new  phase  of  our  political  life  is  commencing.  From  one 
end  of  France  to  the  other,  petitions  are  being  signed  in 
favor  of  the  revision  of  the  Constitution  ;  I  await  with  confi- 
dence the  manifestation  of  the  country  and  the  decision  of  the 
Assembly,  which  can  only  be  actuated  by  the  sole  thought  of 
the  public  good.  If  France  feels  that  she  must  not  be  dis- 
posed of  against  her  will,  France  has  but  to  say  so  ;  she  shall 
not  be  without  my  courage  and  my  energy. 

Since  I  came  into  power,  I  have  proved  how  much,  in  the 
presence  of  the  grave  interests  of  society,  I  disregarded  what- 
ever affected  myself  personally.  The  most  unjust  and  the 
most  violent  attacks  have  failed  to  affect  my  attitude  of 
calmness.  Whatever  duties  the  country  may  impose,  she  shall 
find  me  resolute  to  execute  her  will.  And  believe  me,  gen- 
tlemen, France  shall  not  perish  in  my  hands. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  275 

No.  XIV. 

Second  Annual  Message  of  President  Napoleon. 

A  vast  demagogical  conspiracy  is  now  organizing  in  France 
and  Europe.  Secret  societies  are  endeavoring  to  extend 
their  ramifications  even  into  the  smallest  communes.  Without 
being  able  to  agree  on  men  or  things,  they  have  agreed  to 
bring  all  the  madness,  the  violence,  and  the  obduracy  of 
parties  to  a  focus  in  1852,  not  to  construct,  but  to  overthrow. 

Your  patriotism  and  your  courage,  with  which  I  will  en- 
deavor to  keep  pace,  will,  I  am  sure,  save  France  from  the 
dangers  with  which  she  is  threatened.  But  to  conquer  these 
dangers  we  must  look  at  them  without  fear  and  without 
exaggeration  ;  and,  whilst  convinced,  thanks  to  the  strength 
of  the  administration,  to  the  enlightened  zeal  of  the  magis- 
trates, and  to  the  devotion  of  the  army,  that  France  cannot 
perish,  let  us  unite  our  efforts  to  deprive  the  spirit  of  evil 
even  of  the  hope  of  a  momentary  success. 

The  best  means  to  attain  this  end  has  always  appeared  to 
me  the  application  of  that  system  which  consists,  on  the  one 
hand,  in  satisfying  the  legitimate  interests  ;  and,  on  the  other, 
in  stifling,  at  the  moment  of  their  appearance,  the  slightest 
symptoms  of  an  attack  against  religion,  morality,  or  society. 

Thus,  to  procure  labor  by  granting  to  companies  our  great 
lines  of  railway,  and  with  the  money  which  the  state  will 
procure  from  these  projects  to  give  a  strong  impulse  to  the 
other  works  in  all  the  departments  ;  to  encourage  the  institu- 
tions destined  to  develop  agricultural  or  commercial  credit ; 
to  come,  by  the  establishment  of  charitable  institutions,  to  the 
assistance  of  poverty, — such  has  been,  and  such  still  must  be, 
our  first  care ;  and  it  is  by  following  this  course  that  it  will 
be  easier  to  recur  to  means  of  repression  when  their  necessity 
shall  have  become  felt. 

After  describing  the  state  of  the  country,  he  comes  to  the 
grand  feature  of  the  message  —  the  restoration  of  universal 


276  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

suffrage.  He  uses  every  argument  to  urge  them  to  an  adop- 
tion of  the  measure. 

The  state  of  general  uneasiness,  said  he,  is  increasing 
every  day.  Employment  grows  slack,  poverty  spreads,  the 
interests  become  more  apprehensive,  and  expectations  hostile 
to  society  become  more  exulting  as  the  almost  exhausted 
public  authorities  approach  their  term. 

In  such  a  state  of  things,  my  duty  is  the  same  to-day  as  it 
was  yesterday.  It  consists  in  maintaining  order,  and  in 
removing  every  occasion  of  disturbance,  so  that  the  resolutions 
which  are  to  decide  our  fate  may  be  conceived  in  tranquillity 
and  adopted  in  peace. 

These  resolutions  can  emanate  only  from  a  decisive  act  of 
the  national  sovereignty,  since  they  have  popular  election  for 
a  basis.  Well !  I  have  asked  myself  whether,  in  the  presence 
of  the  delirium  of  passions,  of  the  confusion  of  doctrines,  of 
the  division  of  parties,  when  everything  is  combined  to  attack 
morality,  justice,  and  authority,  we  ought  to  leave  shaken  and 
incomplete  the  only  principle  which,  in  the  middle  of  the 
general  chaos,  Providence  has  kept  standing  to  rally  us 
around  it. 

Since  universal  suffrage  has  reconstructed  the  social  edifice 
by  substituting  a  right  for  a  revolutionary  fact,  is  it  wise  in 
us  to  narrow  its  basis  any  longer  ?  Finally,  I  have  asked 
myself  if,  when  new  powers  shall  preside  over  the  destinies 
of  the  country,  it  would  not  be  compromising  their  stability 
beforehand  to  leave  behind  us  a  pretext  for  questioning  their 
origin,  or  for  misrepresenting  their  legitimacy  ? 

No  doubt  on  the  subject  was  possible  ;  and  without  wishing 
to  swerve  for  a  single  instant  from  the  policy  of  order  which 
I  have  always  followed  out,  I  have  been  obliged,  much  to  my 
regret,  to  separate  from  a  cabinet  which  possessed  all  my  con- 
fidence, in  order  to  choose  another,  which,  equally  composed 
of  honorable  men  publicly  known  for  their  conservative  senti- 
ments, has  moreover  consented  to  admit  the  necessity  of  re- 
establishing universal  suffrage  on  the  broadest  possible  basis. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  277 

You  will,  therefore,  have  presented  to  you  the  draught  of 
a  law  which  restores  the  principle  in  all  its  fulness. 

The  project  has  no  features  which  can  offend  this  Assem- 
bly ;  for,  if  I  think  it  expedient  to  ask  to-day  for  the  with- 
drawal of  the  law  of  the  31st  of  May,  I  do  not  mean  to  deny 
the  approbation  which  I  gave  at  that  time  to  the  cabinet 
which  claimed  from  the  chief  of  the  majority,  whose  work  it 
was,  the  honor  of  presenting  it. 

If  we  remember  the  circumstances  under  which  this  law  was 
presented,  we  shall  not,  I  believe,  refuse  to  allow  that  it  was 
an  act  of  policy,  rather  than  an  electoral  law,  that  it  was 
really  and  truly  a  measure  to  insure  the  public  tranquillity. 
Whenever  the  majority  shall  propose  to  me  energetic  measures 
for  the  safety  of  the  country,  it  may  rely  on  my  loyal  and 
disinterested  support.  But  even  the  best  of  such  measures 
have  but  a  limited  time. 

The  law  of  the  31st  of  May  has,  in  its  application,  even 
gone  beyond  the  object  intended  to  be  attained.  No  one 
foresaw  the  suppression  of  three  millions  of  electors,  two- 
thirds  of  whom  are  peaceful  inhabitants  of  the  country. 
What  has  been  the  result  ?  Why,  that  this  exclusion  has 
served  as  a  pretext  to  the  anarchist  party,  who  cloak  their 
detestable  designs  by  appearing  to  conquer  back  a  right  of 
which  they  had  been  despoiled.  Too  weak  in  numbers  to 
take  possession  of  society  by  their  votes,  they  hope,  under 
favor  of  the  general  emotion  and  the  decline  of  the  powers 
of  the  State,  tc  kindle  at  several  points  of  France,  instanta- 
neously, troubles  which  would  be  quelled,  no  doubt,  but 
which  should  inevitably  throw  us  into  fresh  complications. 

Another  serious  objection  is  this  :  The  constitution  requires, 
for  the  validity  of  the  election  of  a  president  by  the  people, 
at  least  two  millions  of  suffrages ;  and  if  this  number  is  not 
made  up,  the  right  of  election  is  conferred  on  the  Assembly. 
The  Constituent  Assembly  had  therefore  decided  that,  out  of 
ten  million  voters  inscribed  on  the  lists,  one-fifth  was  sufficient 
to  lender  the  election  valid. 
24 


278  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

At  the  present  time,  the  number  of  electors  being  reduced 
to  seven  millions,  to  require  two  millions  is  to  invert  the  pro- 
portion ;  that  is  to  say,  it  is  to  demand  one-third  instead  of 
one-fifth,  and  thus,  in  a  certain  eventuality,  to  take  the  elec- 
tion out  of  the  hands  of  the  people,  and  give  it  to  the 
Assembly.  It  is,  therefore,  positively  chauging  the  condition 
of  the  eligibility  of  the  president  of  the  republic. 

Lastly,  I  call  your  particular  attention  to  another  reason, 
which,  perhaps,  may  prove  decisive. 

The  re-establishment  of  universal  suffrage  on  its  principal 
basis  furnishes  an  additional  chance  of  obtaining  the  revision 
of  the  constitution.  You  have  not  forgotten  why  the  adver- 
saries of  this  revision  refused  last  session  to  vote  for  it.  They 
used  this  argument,  which  they  knew  how  to  render  specious  : 
"The  Constitution,"  said  they,  "which  is  the  work  of  an 
Assembly  taking  its  rise  in  universal  suffrage,  cannot  be 
modified  by  an  Assembly  issuing  from  a  restricted  suffrage." 
Whether  this  be  a  real  motive,  or  only  a  pretext,  it  is  expe- 
dient to  set  it  aside,  and  be  able  to  say  to  those  who  would 
bind  the  country  down  to  an  immutable  constitution,  "Be- 
hold universal  suffrage  re-established.  The  majority  of  the 
Assembly,  supported  by  two  millions  of  petitioners,  by  the 
greater  number  of  the  councils  of  arrondissement,  and  almost 
unanimously  by  the  councils  general,  demands  the  revision 
of  the  fundamental  compact.  Have  you  less  confidence  than 
we  in  the  expression  of  the  popular  will  ?" 

The  question,  therefore,  may  be  thus  stated  to  all  those 
who  desire  a  pacific  solution  of  the  difficulties  of  the  day  : 
"  The  law  of  the  31st  of  May  has  its  imperfections  ;  but  even 
were  it  perfect,  should  it  not,  nevertheless,  be  repealed  if  it 
resists  the  revision  of  the  Constitution,  that  manifest  wish  of 
the  country  ?" 

It  is  objected,  I  am  aware,  that  on  my  part  these  pro- 
posals are  inspired  by  personal  interest.  My  conduct  for  the 
last  three  years  ought  to  repel  such  an  allegation.  The  wel- 
fare of  the  country,  I  repeat,  will  always  be  the  sole  moving 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  279 

spring  of  ray  conduct.  I  believe  it  my  duty  to  propose  every 
means  of  conciliation,  and  to  use  every  effort  to  bring  about 
a  pacific,  regular,  legal  solution,  whatever  may  be  its  issue. 

Thus,  then,  gentlemen,  the  proposal  I  make  to  you  is 
neither  a  piece  of  party  tactics,  nor  an  egotistical  calculation, 
nor  a  sudden  resolution  ;  it  is  the  result  of  serious  meditation 
and  of  profound  conviction.  I  do  not  pretend  that  this 
measure  will  banish  all  the  difficulties  of  the  situation.  But 
to  each  day  its  own  task. 

To-day  to  re-establish  universal  suffrage  is  to  deprive  civil 
war  of  its  flag,  the  opposition  of  its  last  argument.  It  is  to 
furnish  Trance  with  the  possibility  of  giving  itself  institutions 
which  may  insure  its  tranquillity.  It  is  to  give  the  future 
powers  of  the  state  that  moral  force  which  can  only  exist  so 
long  as  it  reposes  on  a  consecrated  principle,  and  on  an  in- 
contestable authority. 

No.  XV. 

Memoir  of  Louis  Bonaparte,  ex-King  of  Holland.1 

Louis,  the  third  brother  of  Napoleon  I.,  and  supposed 
father  of  Napoleon  III.,  was  born  at  Ajaccio  on  the  2d  of 
September,  1778.  During  the  siege  of  Toulon,  in  the  early 
part  of  1793,  Napoleon  frequently  visited  Marseilles,  for  the 
purpose  of  hastening  the  preparations  for  the  siege,  and  at 
the  same  time  of  seeing  his  family.  In  one  of  these  visits 
he  prevailed  on  his  mother  to  send  Louis,  then  little  more 
than  fourteen  years  of  age,  to  the  school  at  Chfilons,  to  un- 
dergo the  examination  necessary  to  his  entrance  into  the 
artillery ;  for  which  service  he  had  always  been  intended. 

On  the  recapture  of  Toulon,  Napoleon,  being  appointed 
to  survey  the  line  of  fortifications  on  the  Mediterranean  coast 
of  France,  took  Louis  with  him,  intending  to  place  him  on 
his  staff  with  the  rank  of  sub-lieutenant. 

Adap  ted  from  an  English  work. 


280  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Wnen,  in  1794,  Napoleon  joined  the  army  of  Italy,  then 
stationed  at  Nice,  the  representatives  of  the  people  wished 
to  confer  on  Louis  the  rank  of  captain  ;  but  as  he  was  little 
more  than  fifteen,  the  measure  was  objected  to  by  his  brother. 
Napoleon  used  to  relate  sundry  anecdotes  of  Louis,  which, 
while  they  evince  the  most  ardent  fraternal  attachment,  afford 
proofs  of  courage  and  coolness.  The  first  time  he  was  led 
into  an  engagement,  Louis,  far  from  betraying  any  astonish 
ment,  was  anxious  to  serve  as  a  rampart  to  his  brother.  Thh 
was  before  Saorgio,  on  the  high  road  from  Nice  to  Tenda. 
While  the  enemy  were  keeping  up  a  brisk  fire  of  artillery, 
Louis  placed  himself  before  Napoleon,  as  he  proceeded  along 
the  outside  of  the  intrenchments,  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
amining them  ;  and  in  this  position  he  continued  during  the 
whole  of  the  inspection. 

On  another  occasion  they  happened  to  be  together  at  a 
battery,  upon  which  the  enemy  kept  up  a  smart  fire.  As  the 
breastworks  were  only  three  or  four  feet  high,  the  garrison 
frequently  stooped  down  to  shelter  themselves.  Napoleon, 
observing  that  Louis,  imitating  his  own  example,  remained 
immovable,  asked  him  the  reason  :  "  I  have  heard  you  say," 
replied  Louis,  "that  an  artillery-officer  should  never  fear 
cannon,  it  being  our  best  weapon." 

Louis  was  little  more  than  seventeen  when  he  a  second 
time  joined  the  army  of  Italy,  then  commanded  by  his 
brother ;  to  whom,  though  he  had  only  the  rank  of  lieutenant, 
he  was  appointed  aid-de-camp.  At  this  early  stage  of  his 
career,  he  was  of  an  observant  and  silent  character.  "He 
felt,"  he  says,  "a  vacuity  of  heart  and  a  sentiment  of  deep 
regret,  at  seeing  himself  impelled  into  a  career  of  trouble- 
some ambition."  He  already  sighed  for  retirement  and  a 
peaceful  occupation.  He  displayed  courage  on  several  occa- 
sions, but  only  by  fits  ;  and  the  acquirement  of  a  military 
reputation  gave  him  no  concern. 

At  Nice  he  met  with  an  accident  which  had  nearly  cost 
him  an  eye.     While  returning  from  a  mission  at  full  gallop, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  281 

on  a  young  and  fiery  horse,  he  was  met  by  his  brother  aid- 
de-cainp,  Junot,  on  foot,  who  frightened  the  animal  in  order 
to  try  the  skill  of  its  rider.  Louis  fell,  and  the  wound  he 
received  was  so  improperly  treated  that  the  scar  remained 
till  his  death. 

He  and  the  brave  Lannes,  afterward  Duke  of  Montebello 
were  the  first  who,  in  May,  1196,  passed  the  Po.  At  th« 
taking  of  Pizzighitone,  Louis  entered  the  breach  with  Dom- 
martin,  the  general  of  artillery.  He  was  present  at  the 
driving  in  of  the  gates  of  Pavia,  and  the  reduction  and  par- 
tial pillage  of  thnt  city.  At  this  horrible  spectacle  he  was 
greatly  shocked,  and  became  thenceforward  still  more  cold 
and  taciturn.  He  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Yaleggio, 
after  which  the  Mincio  was  forcibly  passed,  with  the  Austrian 
array  in  front.  He  presented  to  the  Directory  the  colors 
taken  at  the  battle  of  Castiglione,  and  had  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain conferred  on  him  as  a  mark  of  their  affection. 

He  was  also  at  the  battles  of  Brenta,  Coldiero,  and  Rivoli ; 
and  at  the  memorable  one  of  Areola,  which  lasted  three  days, 
he  was  exposed  during  the  hottest  period  of  the  attack  to 
imminent  peril.  The  brave  Lannes  fell  wounded  by  his  side; 
and  Napoleon's  horse  having  sunk  with  him  in  a  morass, 
Louis  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  one  of  his  brother's 
nands  ;  but  not  being  sufficiently  strong,  he  was  drawn  along 
with  him,  and  both  must  have  perished,  had  not  Marmont, 
with  two  subalterns,  extricated  them  from  their  perilous  situa- 
tion. This  took  place  on  the  first  day.  On  the  second 
Louis  was  charged  with  important  orders  from  the  general- 
in-chief  to  General  Robert,  and  being  the  only  person  on 
horseback,  he  was  marked  out  by  the  tirailleurs  of  the  enemy, 
and  exposed  for  a  long  time  to  their  fire.  On  regaining  his 
brother,  Napoleon  expressed  a  feeling  of  surprise  and  joy  at 
seeing  him  :  "  I  believed  you  dead,"  said  he  ;  and  his  death 
had  been  actually  announced  to  him  by  some  of  the  grenadiers. 

Pending  the  negotiations  in  1797,  previous  to  the  treaty 
of  Campo  Formio,  Lruis  was  sent  to  reconnoitre  the  ad- 
24* 


282  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

vanced  posts  of  the  enemy.  This  important  duty  lasted 
eight  days,  and  his  conduct  received  the  highest  praise  from 
his  brother.  On  this  inspection  he  first  saw  the  young  Ber- 
trand,  who  then  belonged  to  the  engineers  at  Osappo.  He 
soon  appreciated  his  merit,  and  recommended  him  to  his 
brother.  This  is  the  person  who  was  afterward  grand  mar- 
shal, and  accompanied  Napoleon  into  exile. 

When  the  expedition  to  Egypt  was  in  contemplation, 
Louis  was  anxious  to  serve  in  it ;  but,  for  a  personal  reason, 
he  was  desirous  of  setting  out  later  than  the  rest  of  the  aids- 
de-camp.  His  sister  Caroline  was  then  at  the  celebrated 
boarding-school  of  Madame  Campan,  at  St.  Germain. 
Thither  he  frequently  repaired,  and  became  acquainted  with 
a  female  friend  of  his  sister,  whose  father  had  emigrated  at 
the  commencement  of  the  Revolution.  He  felt  a  warm  inte- 
rest in  her  behalf,  esteemed  the  qualities  of  her  mind  and 
heart,  and  thought  her  altogether  the  most  beautiful  young  lady 
he  had  ever  seen.  Walking  one  evening  with  Casabianca,  a 
naval  officer  and  a  friend  of  his  brother,  he  could  not  con- 
ceal his  sentiments,  but  confided  them  to  that  gentleman. 
Casabianca  was  alarmed.  "  Do  you  know,"  said  he,  "that 
a  marriage  of  this  description  might  be  highly  injurious  to 
your  brother,  and  make  him  an  object  of  suspicion  with 
the  government  ?"  On  the  following  day,  Napoleon  sent 
for  Louis,  and  desired  him  to  set  out  instantly  for  Toulon. 
Instead  of  losing  time  in  fruitless  attempts  to  convince  a  love- 
sick youth  of  the  folly  of  his  passion,  he  procured  from  the 
minister  of  war  an  order  for  his  immediate  departure. 

In  May,  1798,  Louis  embarked  with  the  expedition  for 
Egypt.  Being  greatly  fatigued  with  the  voyage,  he  was  per- 
mitted to  remain  at  Alexandria,  where  he  was  an  eyewitness 
of  the  ever-memorable  battle  of  the  Nile.  On  the  blowing 
up  of  the  French  admiral's  ship,  L 'Orient,  "the  whole  hori- 
zon," he  says,  "seemed  on  fire;  the  earth  shook,  and  the 
smoke  which  proceeded  from  the  vessel  ascended  heavily  in  a 
mass,  like  an  immense  black  balloon      It  then  brightened  up, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  283 

and  exhibited  the  objects  of  all  descriptions  which  ^ere  pre- 
cipitated on  the  scene  of  the  battle.  What  a  terrible  moment 
of  fear  and  desolation  for  the  French  who  witnessed  this 
awful  catastrophe  !" 

While  in  Egypt,  Louis  wrote  several  letters  to  his  friends 
in  France.  One  to  his  brother  Joseph,  which  was  inter- 
cepted by  the  British  cruisers  and  made  public,  breathes  a 
tone  of  philanthropy  very  creditable  to  the  youthful  writer. 
"The  Mamelukes,"  he  says,  "have  no  idea  of  children's 
play  :  they  either  kill  or  are  killed.  The  Bedouins  are  an 
invincible  people,  inhabiting  a  burning  desert,  mounted  on 
the  fleetest  horses  in  the  world,  and  full  of  courage.  They 
live,  with  their  wives  and  children,  in  flying  camps,  which  are 
never  pitched  two  nights  together  in  the  same  place.  They 
are  horrible  savages,  and  yet  they  have  some  notion  of  gold  ! 
A  small  quantity  of  it  serves  to  excite  their  admiration. 
Yes,  my  dear  brother,  they  love  gold ;  they  pass  their  lives 
in  extorting  it  from  such  Europeans  as  fall  into  their  hands  ; 
and  for  what  purpose  ?  —  for  continuing  the  course  of  life 
which  I  have  described,  and  for  teaching  it  to  their  children. 
O,  Jean  Jacques  1  why  was  it  not  thy  fate  to  see  those  men 
whom  thou  callest  'the  men  of  Nature  V  thou  wouldst  sink 
with  shame  and  startle  with  horror  at  the  thought  of  having 
once  admired  them  1  Oh  1  how  many  misanthropes  would 
be  converted,  if  chance  should  conduct  them  into  the  midst 
of  the  deserts  of  Arabia!" 

On  setting  out  for  Syria,  Napoleon,  yielding  to  the  entrea- 
ties of  his  brother,  consented  to  his  return  to  France.  Louis 
accordingly,  on  the  11th  of  May,  H99,  took  his  departure 
from  Egypt  in  a  small  gun-boat,  carrying  with  him  despatches 
for  the  Directory;  and  after  a  voyage  of  two  months,  during 
which  he  escaped,  as  it  were,  by  miracle,  the  Turkish,  Rus- 
sian, English,  and  even  Portuguese  vessels,  he  reached  Porto 
Vecchio.  On  his  way  to  Paris,  he  stopped  at  Sens,  and  was 
not  a  little  surprised  to  find,  at  Madame  de  Bourrienne's,  the 
intercepted   correspondence,    seized    by   the   English   and 


284  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

printed  at  London,  containing  his  own  letter  to  his  brother 
Joseph,  of  which  the  above  is  an  extract,  as  well  as  others, 
"the  publication  of  which  would,"  he  observed,  "on  the 
return  of  the  army  to  France,  give  birth  to  unpleasant  scenes 
in  more  families  than  one."1 

In  December,  1799,  on  Napoleon's  elevation  to  the  consul- 
ship, Louis  was  appointed  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  dragoons, 
and  sent  to  serve  in  Normandy,  where  the  troubles  had  not 
entirely  ceased.  Peace  soon  followed  ;  but  it  was  thought  ex- 
pedient that  four  of  the  Chouan  leaders  should  be  tried  by  a 
court-martial,  and  Louis  was  called  upon  to  preside.  This, 
however,  he  obstinately  refused,  nor  could  entreaties  or 
threats  induce  him  to  consent.  He  protested  against  the 
sentenoe  of  death  passed  upon  these  unfortunate  persons, 
and  during  its  execution  not  only  confined  himself  to  his 
quarters,  as  if  it  had  been  a  day  of  mourning,  but  ordered  his 
officers  to  do  the  same.  His  regiment  was  soon  after  re- 
called to  Paris ;  and  from  this  time  he  appears  to  have  lost, 
in  a  great  degree,  the  good-will  of  his  brother. 

It  seems,  however,  to  have  been  a  favorite  object  with  Na- 
poleon, and  more  especially  with  Josephine,  to  effect  a  mar- 
riage between  her  daughter  Hortense  and  Louis.  The  pro- 
position was  made  to  him  in  July,  1800,  shortly  after  the 
return  of  the  First  Consul  from  the  brilliant  campaign  of 
Marengo,  and  he  then  gave  it  a  decided  negative ;  "not," 
he  says,  "from  any  unfavorable  opinion  entertained  of  the 
character  or  morals  of  the  young  lady,  who  was  the  subject 
of  general  praise,  but  because  he  was  afraid  their  characters 
were  not  suited  to  each  other." 

Not  long  after  the  proposition  was  renewed,  but  with  no 
better  success ;  and  to  escape  further  importunities,  Louis 
made  a  tour  of  several  months  in  Germany.  He  there  met 
with  a  gracious  reception  from  the  King  and  Queen  o/ 
Prussia,  and  from  that  time  never  ceased  to  express  the 
highest  esteem  for  that  illustrious  house.     "And  what  an 

'  De  Bourrienne,  torn,  ii."  p.  207. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  285 

i"on  heart,"  he  gallantly  observes,  "must  that  raa.i  have  had, 
who  would  not  have  been  touched  with  the  enchanting  spec- 
tacle of  a  court  at  once  military  and  polished,  in  which  the 
most  beautiful,  most  gracious,  and  most  amiable  of  women 
enjoyed  the  love  and  affection  of  her  subjects!" 

On  his  return  from  this  excursion,  he  was  assailed  with  a 
fresh  repetition  of  the  proposal.  An  expedition  was  at  that 
time  organizing  for  Portugal,  in  which  he  contrived  to  have 
his  regiment  included,  and  thus  obtained  a  new  pretence  for 
eluding  the  importunities  of  his  over-kind  relations,  who, 
like  certain  parents  and  uncles  on  the  stage,  seemed  obsti- 
nately bent  upon  making  poor  Louis  happy  against  his  will. 

On  passing  through  Mont-de-Marsan,  in  the  department 
of  Landes,  he  was  received  with  demonstrations  of  joy,  on 
account  of  his  brother.  Scarcely  had  he  entered  the  hotel 
of  the  prefecture,  when  the  prefect  presented  to  him  all  the 
constituted  authorities ;  at  the  head  of  whom  was  the  vene- 
rable president  of  the  tribunal,  who  had  his  speech  ready  pre- 
pared in  his  hand,  and  was  intent  on  delivering  it.  The 
orator  advanced,  and  with  solemn  voice  began — "Young and 
valiant  hero  !"  This  was  too  much  for  Louis.  He  instantly 
stepped  forward,  and  snatching,  in  a  good-humored  manner, 
the  oration  out  of  the  hand  of  the  spokesman,  said  :  "  M.  le 
President,  this  address  is,  I  suppose,  intended  for  my  brother. 
I  will  take  care  to  acquaint  him  with  the  kind  sentiments  you 
entertain  towards  him."  This  put  an  end  to  the  harangue, 
as  well  as  to  the  presentations. 

Immediately  after  Louis's  return  from  Portugal,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1801,  Josephine  renewed  with  fresh  spirit  the  matri- 
monial charge,  and  with  better  success  than  heretofore.  One 
evening,  when  there  was  a  ball  at  Malmaison,  she  took  him 
aside,  Napoleon  joined  the  conference,  and  after  a  long  con- 
versation, Louis  says,  "they  made  him  give  his  consent"  — 
"  on  lui  fit  donner  son  consentement. "  The  day  of  the  nup- 
tials was  fixed,  and  on  the  4th  of  January,  1802,  the  con- 
tract, the  civil  marriage,  and  the  religious  ceremony  took 


286  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

place  at  the  First  Consul's  private  residence  in  the  Rue  de  la 

Victoire. 

"Without  connubial  Juno's  aid  they  wed: 

Nor  Hymen  nor  the  Graces  bless  the  bed!" 

"Never,"  exclaims  Louis,  in  a  tone  of  anguish,  "was  there 
a  more  gloomy  ceremony  1  Never  had  husband  and  wife  a 
stronger  presentiment  of  the  horrors  of  a  reluctant  and  ill- 
assorted  union  !"  From  this  he  dates  the  commencement 
of  his  unhappiness,  his  bodily  and  mental  sufferings.  It 
stamped  on  his  whole  existence  a  profound  melancholy,  a  de- 
jection, a  drying  of  the  heart,  which,  he  adds,  "nothing 
ever  could,  or  ever  will  remedy."  As  for  Hortense,  who  had 
only  left  Madame  Campan's  boarding-school  a  few  weeks 
before  the  wedding,  a  lady  who  was  present  at  a  ball  given 
in  honor  of  it  by  Madame  de  Montesson,  states,  that  "  every 
countenance  beamed  with  satisfaction,  save  that  of  the  bride, 
whose  profound  melancholy  formed  a  sad  contrast  to  the  hap- 
piness which  she  might  have  been  expected  to  evince :  she 
seemed  to  shun  her  husband's  very  looks,  lest  he  should  read 
in  hers  the  indifference  she  felt  towards  him." 

During  the  years  1802,  1803,  and  1804,  Louis  was  almost 
entirely  with  his  regiment,  or  at  the  mineral  baths.  In  1804 
he  was  appointed  general  of  brigade ;  and  at  this  period  the 
death  of  the  Duke  d'Enghien  took  place.  On  learning  the 
sad  catastrophe,  he  repaired  to  Paris ;  but  he  was  too  late, 
and  could  only  add  his  tears  to  those  of  Josephine,  Hortense, 
and  Caroline.  Louis  represents  his  brother  as  being,  for 
several  days,  melancholy,  absent,  and  slovenly ;  and  declares 
that  he  must  have  been  drawn  into  the  adoption  of  the  fatal 
measure  in  a  hasty  and  perfidious  manner. 

On  Napoleon  being  crowned  Emperor,  Louis  was  made 
general  of  division  and  counsellor  of  state;  and  in  1805, 
during  his  brother's  absence  in  Germany,  he  received  the 
command  of  the  garrison  of  Paris  ;  in  which  situation  he  dis- 
played a  zeal  and  activity  that  could  scarcely  have  been  ex- 
pected from  him. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  287 

We  now  arrive  at  the  period  wheu  Louis  was  elevated  to 
the  throne  of  Holland.  The  first  intimation  he  had  of  Na- 
poleon's intention  was  conveyed  to  him  during  the  campaign 
of  Austerlitz.  At  that  time  Louis  commanded  a  corps  of 
troops  stationed  in  Holland,  to  protect  the  northern  portion 
of  the  empire  against  a  diversion  on  the  part  of  Prussia  ; 
and  his  conduct  while  there  was  praised  by  Napoleon  in  one 
of  the  bulletins  of  the  grand  army.  At  the  close  of  the  cam- 
paign, Louis  sent  back  most  of  the  troops  to  Paris,  and  went 
to  meet  the  Emperor  at  Strasburg.  He  was  received  with 
coldness,  and  reprimanded  for  his  hasty  departure  from  Hol- 
land. Louis  replied,  that  the  rumors  which  were  in  circula- 
tion in  Holland,  with  respect  to  certain  changes  in  the  go- 
vernment of  that  country,  had  hastened  his  departure,  and 
were  of  a  nature  to  displease  that  estimable  nation.  Napo- 
leon gave  him  to  understand  .that  they  were  not  unfounded, 
and  that  he  was  to  be  created  king  of  Holland. 

Thinking  he  should  be  able  to  find  pretexts  for  declining 
an  honor  for  which  he  was  not  ambitious,  Louis  gave  him- 
self little  uneasiness  about  it.  However,  in  the  spring  of 
1806,  there  arrived  at  Paris  from  Holland  a  deputation  of 
five  ambassadors,  all  men  of  rank  and  consequence  ;  and  after 
four  months  of  negotiation,  a  treaty  was  concluded,  by  which 
the  Dutch  republic  was  transformed  into  a  monarchy.  Louis 
was  not  invited  to  their  sittings,  and  received  no  official  in- 
timation that  his  personal  interest  was  at  all  connected 
with  them  ;  but  at  length,  the  ambassadors  made  him  ac- 
quainted with  what  had  been  going  on,  and  assured  him  that 
their  nation  gave  him  their  preference  forking.  He  did  what 
he  could  to  avoid  expatriation,  but  was  insultingly  told  by 
his  brother,  that  he  need  not  be  frightened  before  he  was 
hurt;  and  on  every  thing  being  matured,  Napoleon  informed 
him  that  he  was  to  be  king  of  Holland,  and  that  if  he  had 
not  hitherto  been  consulted,  it  was  because  it  was  the  duty 
of  a  subject  to  obey. 

Louis  still  held  uut.     He  pleaded  the  delicacy  of  his  con- 


288  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

stitution,  and  the  nnfavourableness  of  the  climate.  "Better 
to  die  a  king  than  live  a  prince,'1  was  the  unbrotherly  reply  ;* 
and  in  a  day  or  two  after,  Talleyrand  waited  on  him  at  St. 
Leu,  and  read  aloud  to  him  and  Hortense  the  treaty  and  con- 
stitution which  had  just  been  concluded.  On  being  asked 
whether  he  approved  of  them,  he  answered,  that  not  having 
been  in  the  secret,  he  could  not  form  an  opinion  at  a  single 
reading,  but  that  he  would  endeavor  to  do  his  best.  This 
took  place  on  the  3d  of  June,  1806.  On  the  5th,  Louis  and 
his  wife  were  proclaimed  king  and  queen  of  Holland. 

Louis  now  gave  himself  up  with  enthusiasm  to  the  hope 
of  being  useful  to  two  millions  of  men,  and  resolved  to 
devote  himself  to  their  happiness.  He  remained  a  week  at 
St.  Leu,  and  during  that  time  endeavored  to  gain  from  the 
deputation  a  general  notion  of  the  state  of  the  country  over 
which  he  was  about  to  rule.  Finding  its  treasury  empty,  and 
that  France  owed  it  three  millions  of  florins  (250,000/.),  lent 
to  the  French  governors  of  the  colonies  in  the  East  Indies, 
he  demanded  of  the  Emperor  the  repayment  of  it,  but  with- 
out success.  All  the  money  he  carried  with  him  into  Hol- 
land was  seven  hundred  thousand  francs,  not  30,000/.,  the 
arrears  of  his  annual  allowance  from  the  state,  and  which 
belonged  to  him  personally. 

Louis  and  his  family  left  Paris  on  the  15th  of  June.  On 
approaching  the  Dutch  frontiers  he  changed  his  cockade  ; 
not,  he  says,  "  without  great  pain,  and  shedding  sincere 
tears."  He  arrived  on  the  18th  at  the  Hague,  and  his  first 
care  was  to  form  a  ministry.  He  inquired  into  the  integrity 
and  merit  of  individuals,  and  on  these  he  founded  his  confi- 
dence. To  the  several  addresses  presented  to  him,  he  re- 
plied :  "  that  from  the  moment  he  set  foot  on  the  soil,  he  had 
become  a  Dutchman."  He  promised  to  protect  justice,  as 
he  would  protect  commerce,  by  throwing  the  access  to  it 
open,    and   removing   every   thing   that   might   impede   it. 

'  De  Bourrienne,  torn.  viii.  p.  126. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III  2S9 

"With  me, "he  said,  "there  shall  be  no  different  religions — 
no  different  parties  ;  merit  and  services  shall  form  the  sole 
ground  of  distinction." 

The  necessities  of  his  treasury  demanding  immediate  atten- 
tion, he  despatched  an  individual  to  Paris,  to  inform  his 
brother  that  unless  he  liquidated  the  debt  due  to  Holland, 
took  the  French  troops  into  his  own  pay,  and  lessened  the 
naval  force,  he  would  instantly  abdicate  ;  meantime,  without 
waiting  for  an  answer,  he  gave  directions  for  such  reductions 
as  it  was  in  his  power  to  make.  He  also  represented  to  Na- 
poleon, that  the  suppression  of  all  commerce  and  navigation, 
which  was  merely  a  severe  loss  for  France,  was  the  same 
thing  as  depriving  Holland  of  its  very  soil. 

He  soon  perceived  that  the  government  of  Holland  must 
found  its  chief  support  on  public  opinion.  He  set  about 
drawing  up  in  silence  the  plan  of  a  Constitution,  of  the  most 
simple  description,  alike  suited  to  the  taste  and  the  habits  of 
his  subjects  ;  and  he  took  steps  for  obtaining  a  uniform  civil 
and  criminal  code,  which  should  unite  the  principles  of  jus- 
tice with  those  of  humanity.  He  also  appointed  two  com- 
mittees, composed  of  the  ablest  professors  and  men  of  letters, 
to  draw  up  a  uniform  system  of  weights  and  measures  ;  and 
though  the  good  he  thus  intended  was  not  attained  during 
his  reign,  it  has  since  been  carried  into  complete  effect  by  the 
present  sovereign  of  the  Netherlands.  Besides  these,  Louis 
projected  sundry  ameliorations  connected  with  the  health  of 
his  subjects  and  the  salubrity  of  his  country.  Himself  a 
victim,  ever  since  the  age  of  two-and-twenty,  to  a  slow  and 
extraordinary  disease,  he  had  often  had  occasion  to  direct 
his  attention  to  this  important  object.  He  enlarged  the 
public  libraries,  encouraged  the  fine  arts,  by  distributing 
prizes  and  sending  pupils  to  Paris  and  Rome,  founded  a 
General  Institution  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  created  the 
order  of  Union  and  Merit,  selecting  for  its  device  the  Dutch 
maxim  :  "  Doe  wel  en  zie  niet  om  ;" — "  Do  what  you  ought  j 
happen  what  may." 

25  T 


290  PUBLIC    AIN^    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

In  January,  1801,  a  shock  like  that  of  an  earthquake  was 
felt  at  the  Hague,  and  a  light  in  the  horizon  announced  a  ter- 
rible fire,  in  the  direction  of  Leyden.  Louis  happened  to  be 
on  his  way  thither,  when  he  was  informed  that  a  vessel  laden 
with  gunpowder  had  blown  up  in  the  centre  of  the  city.  On 
his  arrival,  he  was  horrorstruck  at  the  spectacle  that  pre- 
sented itself.  Eight  hundred  houses  had  been  levelled  with 
the  ground  ;  and  with  their  fall,  numerous  families,  while  en- 
joying the  repast  of  dinner,  were  precipitated  into  eternity — 
fathers,  mothers,  children,  and  domestics,  all  were  hurried  to 
a  promiscuous  grave.  Every  window  in  the  place  was 
smashed  to  atoms,  and  thus  the  bread,  flour,  and  other  ne- 
cessaries of  life  were  rendered  dangerous  and  useless,  by  the 
showers  of  powdered  glass  that  fell  in  all  directions. 

Attended  by  the  magistrates,  Louis  traversed  the  scene  of 
desolation.  He  ascended  the  ruins,  mixed  with  the  laborers, 
visited  the  wounded,  promised  a  reward  to  every  one  who 
succeeded  in  rescuing  a  fellow-creature  from  beneath  the  rub- 
bish, and  did  not  quit  the  spot  till  daybreak  of  the  following 
morning.  He  sent  off  to  the  principal  towns  for  succors  of 
all  kinds,  and  ordered  his  palace  in  the  Wood,  between 
Leyden  and  the  Hague,  to  be  thrown  open  to  those  respect- 
able families  whom  the  accident  had  left  houseless.  On  after- 
ward receiving  the  thanks  of  the  magistrates,  he  returned  a 
most  benignant  answer.  "The  dead,"  said  he,  "I  cannot 
restore  to  you  ;  that  is  above  human  power ;  but  all  that  I 
can  I  will  do  for  your  city."  Louis  kept  his  word.  .  He 
proposed  to  the  legislative  body  the  measures  necessary  to  its 
restoration  ;  directed  a  general  subscription  to  be  set  on  foot, 
which  was  so  productive,  that  the  inhabitants  were  indem- 
nified for  their  pecuniary  losses  ;  and  decreed  that  Leyden 
should  become  the  seat  of  the  Royal  University. 

Again,  in  1809,  when  a  sudden  inundation  spread  desola- 
tion over  several  districts,  Louis  was  on  the  spot,  performing 
the  same  beneficent  offices.  He  traversed  the  whole  of  it 
during  two  days  and  a  night,  visited  every  village,  consoled 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  291 

and  encouraged  the  inhabitants,  and  promptly  rewarded 
those  who  most  exposed  themselves  to  danger. 

At  the  close,  of  1806,  the  famous  Berlin  decree  was 
enacted,  prohibiting  all  intercourse  with  England,  and  Louis 
was  required  to  enforce  it  in  Holland.  He  could  not  avoid 
taking  some  analogous  steps,  but  he  would  not  re-enact  the 
decree.  On  complaints  being  made,  that  a  contraband  traffic 
was  carrying  on,  Louis  coolly  replied  ;  "  Empechez  done  la 
peau  de  transpirer  ?" — "You  might  as  well  forbid  the  skin 
to  perspire!"  At  another  time,  while  he  was  standing  on 
one  of  the  quays,  with  some  French  courtiers,  a  Swedish 
vessel  was  seen  coming  up,  with  her  flags  flying.  The  cir- 
cumstance being  pointed  out  to  him,  he  replied  coolly,  that  he 
saw  nothing  but  a  merchant  ship,  and  turned  his  back  on  the 
officious  informer. 

After  the  conquest  of  Prussia,  he  sent  a  deputation  to  his 
brother  at  Berlin  to  congratulate  him  on  the  achievement ; 
but  instead  of  meeting  with  a  gracious  reception,  Napoleon 
loaded  them  and  their  master  with  the  grossest  insults,  and 
shortly  after  compelled  Louis  to  concede  several  provinces, 
including  Flushing. 

About  this  time,  Napoleon,  who  was  making  arrangements 
for  taking  possession  of  Spain,  conceived  the  design  of  trans- 
ferring Louis  to  the  throne  of  that  country.  He  accordingly 
addressed  a  letter  to  him,  in  March,  1808,  in  which  he  opened 
his  plan,  intimating,  among  other  things,  that  the  climate  of 
Holland  was  unfavorable  to  his  health.  "  Tell  me  categori- 
cally," he  said,  "  if  I  make  you  king  of  Spain,  will  you  agree 
to  it?  answer  me  —  yes,  or  no."  The  surprise  of  Louis,  on 
receiving  so  impolitic,  unjust,  and  shameful  a  proposition, 
was  only  equalled  by  his  indignation:  —  "I  am  not  the 
governor  of  a  province,"  he  said:  "for  a  king  there  is  no 
promotion  but  to  heaven  ;  they  are  all  equal  :  with  what  face 
can  I  demand  an  oath  of  fidelity  from  another  people,  if  1  am 
unfaithful  to  that  which  I  have  taken  to  the  Dutch  ?"     His 


292  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

answer  was  a  direct  refusal ;  and  the  throne  of  Spain  was 
given  to  Joseph. 

What  the  feelings  of  Louis  at  this  time  were,  with  reference 
to  his  brother,  may  be  collected  from  the  following  anecdote. 
He  was  one  day  conversing  with  the  Russian  minister,  Prince 
Dolgorouki,  on  the  possibility  of  enforcing  the  decree  against 
commerce  in  Holland.  "We  live  on  hope,"  said  Louis, 
"and  by  expedients,  as  Heaven  permits" — "  comme  le  Ciel 
le  permet,"  The  ambassador,  in  allusion  to  the  word 
"heaven,"  and  wishing  to  discover  whether  the  king  had 
authorized  any  relaxation  of  his  prohibitory  measures,  quoted, 
with  a  smile,  the  line  from  Tartuffe  : 

"  II  est  avec  le  ciel  des  accommodemens."  x 

•' Oui,  monsieur,"  said  Louis,   "mais  il  n'en  est  pas  avec 
l'enfer,"2  and  changed  the  conversation. 

The  relations  between  France  and  Holland  continued  in 
this  state  until  the  peace  with  Austria,  in  1809  ;  when  Napo- 
leon would  frequently  say  to  his  officers  at  Schoenbrunn. 
"  We  have  nothing  to  do  now  but  to  march  against  Spain 
and  Holland. "  In  speaking  of  his  brother,  he  would  exclaim, 
"  Louis  is  no  longer  French  ;  he  is  rather  the  brother  and 
ally  of  King  George."  In  this  state  of  things,  Louis  was 
advised  to  pay  Napoleon  a  visit,  and  endeavor  to  induce  him 
to  change  his  determination.  He  reached  Paris  in  December, 
but  had  little  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  success  of  his 
journey.  At  their  first  interview,  the  brothers  had  a  warm 
dispute  on  the  affairs  of  Holland.  Advantage,  however,  was 
taken  of  his  presence  to  make  an  overture  to  the  British 
ministry  for  the  repeal  of  the  orders  in  council,  and  Louis 
was  given  to  understand,  that  if  those  orders  were  not  revoked, 
Holland  would  be  united  to  the  French  empire.    The  British 

1  "  There  is  such  a  thing  as  coming  to  a  compromise  with  heaven." 
*  "  Yes,  sir,  but  not  with  hell." 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  293 

government  declined  the  overture ;  and  Louis,  pressed  in 
every  way,  was  induced  to  sign  a  treaty,  providing  for  the  in- 
troduction of  a  body  of  French  troops  into  Holland,  to  co- 
operate in  enforcing  the  continental  system. 

Louis  returned  to  Holland  in  April,  1810.  In  submitting 
to  the  humiliating  conditions  imposed  on  him,  he  seems  to 
have  intended  to  put  Napoleon  as  much  as  possible  in  the 
wrong,  that  he  might,  in  the  end,  appeal  to  the  spirit  of  the 
people  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  active  resistance ;  and 
when,  on  the  29th  of  June,  the  French  troops  were  about  to 
establish  their  head-quarters  in  Amsterdam,  he  had  come  to 
the  determination  to  place  the  country  in  a  posture  of  defence 
by  cutting  the  dikes  ;  but  on  communicating  this  determination 
to  his  ministers,  all  gave  their  opinion  against  a  defence. 
"This  is  enough,"  said  Louis  ;  "this  determines  me.  I  will 
drive  the  emperor  to  the  wall,  and  compel  him  to  avow,  in 
the  face  of  all  Europe,  the  secret  of  his  policy  towards  Hol- 
land. I  will  put  my  son  in  my  place.  If  the  complaints 
against  me  be  well  founded,  he  will  acknowledge  the  boy. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  he  avails  himself  of  my  abdication  to 
seize  upon  Holland,  it  will  prove  that  all  his  accusations  were 
merely  attempts  to  pick  a  quarrel." 

He  accordingly,  on  the  1st  of  July,  abdicated  in  favor  of 
his  son.  The  act  of  abdication  was,  however,  declared  a 
nullity.  Napoleon  sent  an  aid-de-camp  for  the  minor,  and 
assigned  him  a  dwelling  in  the  park  of  St.  Cloud  ;  and  Hol- 
land was,  in  a  fortnight  after,  formally  united  to  the  French 
empire.  One  who  was  with  the  emperor  when  he  received 
the  news  of  Louis's  abdication  states,  that  he  never  saw  him 
so  much  struck  with  astonishment.  He  remained  silent  for  a 
few  minutes,  and  after  a  kind  of  momentary  stupor,  suddenly 
appeared  to  be  greatly  agitated.  "Was  it  possible,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  to  suspect  conduct  so  mischievous  from  the 
brother  most  indebted  to  me  ?  When  I  was  a  mere  lieutenant 
of  artillery,  1  brought  him  up  with  the  scanty  means  afforded 
25* 


294  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

me  :  I  divided  my  bread  with  him  ;  and  this  is  the  return  he 
makes  me  I"1 

Louis  took  his  departure  from  Haarlem  in  the  strictest  in- 
cognito, proceeding  to  the  baths  of  Tceplitz,  in  Bohemia.  He 
then  retired  to  Gratz,  in  Styria,  taking  the  title  of  Count  de 
St.  Leu,  a  small  estate  he  possessed  near  Paris.  He  left  with 
his  son  the  revenues  of  the  month  of  June,  taking  with  him 
only  ten  thousand  florins,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
journey,  and  his  diamond  decorations.  By  a  decree  of  the 
French  senate,  an  apanage  of  two  million  francs  (80,000Z.) 
was  settled  on  him  and  his  family  ;  but  as  he  considered  the 
decree  calculated  to  injure  him  in  the  esteem  of  the  Dutch, 
he  published  a  protest,  expressive  of  his  determination  to 
refuse  it. 

At  Gratz  Louis  lived  a  retired  life,  endeavoring  to  re-estab- 
lish his  health.  On  Napoleon's  first  reverse,  and  again  after 
the  battle  of  Leipsic,  he  made  an  attempt  to  recover  the 
possession  of  his  lost  crown,  and  even  thought  of  returning 
to  Holland  by  way  of  Paris ;  but  he  was  not  permitted  to 
enter  that  city.  He  therefore  retraced  his  steps  to  Switzer- 
land, and  on  arriving  there  found  a  letter  from  his  brother, 
in  which  Napoleon  admitted,  that  he  would  rather  that  Hol- 
land should  return  into  the  government  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange  than  to  that  of  his  brother.  Louis  next  made  a 
direct  address  to  the  magistrates  of  Amsterdam,  but  the 
Dutch  paid  no  attention  to  his  letter,  and  conferred  the  sove- 
reign power  on  the  heir  of  their  ancient  stadtholders. 

Being  now  released  from  all  obligations  to  his  former 
subjects,  Louis  wished  to  retire  to  St.  Leu  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  reached  Paris  on  the  1st  of  January,  1814  ; 
but  Napoleon  at  first  not  only  refused  to  see  him,  but  ordered 
him  to  remove  to  the  distance  of  forty  leagues  from  Paris  ; 
however,  through  the  mediation  of  Maria  Louisa,  a  meeting 
took  place,  which  passed  very  coldly.     He  remained  at  or 

1  Me"raoires  du  Due  de  Rovigo. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  295 

dear  Paris  till  the  30th  of  March,  when  he  attended  the 
empress  to  Blois ;  and  after  his  brother's  abdication,  he 
retired,  with  the  pope's  permission,  to  Rome ;  where  he  has 
ever  since  enjoyed  that  repose  which  he  so  much  loves,  and 
ro  well  deserves. 

In  1808  Louis  gave  to  the  world  a  sentimental  romance, 
called  "  Marie,  ou  les  Peines  de  l'Amour,"  of  which  a  second 
edition  appeared  in  1814,  under  the  more  attractive  title  of 
"Marie,  ou  les  Hollandaises." 

His  treatise  entitled  "  Documens  Historiques,  et  Reflexions 
sur  le  Gouvernment  de  la  Hollande,"  met  with  a  better 
fate.  Besides  the  English,  Italian,  and  German  translations, 
four  separate  ones  have  been  made  into  Dutch.  It  is  a  work 
of  no  literary  pretensions,  being  merely  an  unpresuming 
account  of  his  administration  in  Holland.  It  appears  clear 
from  it,  that  he  ascended  the  throne  with  unfeigned  reluctance, 
—  under  an  influence  amounting  to  little  less  than  absolute 
duresse, — and,  at  the  same  time,  with  a  settled  determination 
not  to  be  made  an  instrument  of  oppression.  He  certainly 
evinced  some  feebleness  of  mind,  and  a  kind  of  willing  decep- 
tion, in  imagining  that  he  could  carry  this  system  into  effect ; 
but  these  are  mere  blemishes  in  an  honorable  and  virtuous 
character.  He  found  his  reward  in  the  respect  and  affection 
of  his  subjects,  and  his  name  continues  to  be  mentioned 
among  them  with  honor  and  regret. 

He  has  been  blamed  by  the  Duke  of  Rovigo  and  others 
for  deserting  a  nation  which  did  ample  justice  to  his  qualities, 
and  had  given  proofs  of  fidelity  and  obedience  to  his  service  ; 
but  De  Bourrienne,  on  the  other  hand,  maintains,  that  he  could 
not  have  submitted  to  his  brother's  exorbitant  demands  with- 
out inducing  the  entire'ruin  of  Holland.1  If  Louis  did  not 
always  effect  the  best  that  could  possibly  be  done,  it  was,  at 
least,  his  constant  aim  to  do  so  ;  his  favorite  maxim  being 
0>e  motto  of  his  order — "Doe  wel  en  zie  niet  om." 

The  following  short  anecdotes  will  show  the  spirit  of  mild- 

1  De  Bourrienne,  torn.  viii.  p.  255. 


296  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

ness  by  which  his  government  was  actuated.  One  of  the 
persons  about  him  expressed  his  regret  that  Louis  had  not 
punished  with  severity  a  sort  of  revolt  which  took  place  at 
Rotterdam.  "It  should  have  finished,"  said  the  person, 
"by  hanging  up  some  fifty  of  the  ringleaders."  "I  chose 
rather  to  put  an  end  to  it  by  a  letter,"  answered  Louis  with 
a  smile.  In  the  same  spirit,  he  said  to  the  Duke  de  Cazes, 
then  his  private  secretary,  "  For  my  part,  I  cannot  see  why 
bayonets  should  be  employed  to  quell  every  petty  tumult  in  a 
playhouse.  To  put  an  end  to  them,  artificial  shower-baths 
should  be  placed  in  the  ceiling  over  the  pit,  to  give  it  a 
sprinkling  when  too  noisy.  This  would  be  far  more  suitable  ; 
for  there  is  a  great  deal  of  sportiveness  in  theatrical  riots,  and 
to  punish  them  as  crimes  is  to  crush  a  fly  with  a  rock. "  This 
amiable  and  unambitious  man  died  at  Florence,  in  January, 
1846. 

No.  XVI. 

Memoir  of  Hortense  Beauharnois,  Ex-queen  of  Holland.1 

Hortense  Fanny  de  Beauharnois,  the  mother  of  Napo- 
leon III.,  was  born  at  Paris  on  the  10th  of  April,  1783,  at  a 
period  when  the  French  nobility  was  still  resplendent  with  that 
prosperity  which  was  the  reward  of  service  done  to  the  State, 
in  arms  or  magistracy.  Paris  had  not  yet  learned  to  gaze 
enviously  upon  this  elevated  class,  then  as  pre-eminent  by  the 
elegance  of  its  manners,  as  by  the  enjoyment  of  privileges  to 
which  it  attached  little  importance.  Every  young  girl  of 
family  could  then,  not  perhaps  aspire  openly  to  the  throne, 
but  at  least  flatter  herself  with  the  belief  of  rising  to  it  without 
difficulty.  Madame  de  Maintenon  had  shown  that  royal  blood 
was  not  essential  to  the  easy  exercise  of  royal  power. 

The  history  of  childhood  is  rather  the  story  of  the  family 
than  of  the  infant.    Hortense  gave  promise  of  wit,  grace  and 

1  From  'he  French  of  Count  de  la  Garde. 


wmnv. 


M 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  291 

amiabilitv,  but  the  fond  anticipations  of  maternal  partiality 
were  not  realized  until  after  a  series  of  distressing  calamities, 
of  which  some  account  may  not  be  inappropriate. 

Her  father,  the  Vicomte  de  Beauharnois,  was  a  younger 
son  of  a  noble  and  wealthy  family  of  Martinique.  He  entered 
the  array  at  an  early  age,  and  obtained  distinction  in  several 
affairs  as  a  major  in  the  forces  under  Rochambeau,  then  fight- 
ing for  the  cause  of  American  freedom.  Upon  his  return  to 
France,  without  disgracing  the  creed  of  liberty  by  any  un- 
worthy action,  he  adhered  to  the  principles  he  had  defended, 
which  perhaps  had  been  prematurely  developed  by  his 
American  associations.  He  espoused  with  enthusiasm  the 
doctrines  of  the  revolution,  and  became  a  zealous  advocate 
of  the  reform  of  abuses,  and  of  a  well  regulated  liberty. 

Rather  a  philosopher  than  a  courtier,  Beauharnois  hailed 
with  joy  the  dawn  of  that  liberty  in  France,  which  he  had 
seen  resplendent  in  America.  In  1789  he  was  deputed  to  the 
States-General  by  the  noblesse  of  Blois,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  of  his  order  who  voted  with  the  third  estate.  In  the 
memorable  nocturnal  sitting  of  the  4th  of  August,  he  moved 
and  carried  the  abolition  of  privileges,  equal  penalties  for  all 
classes  of  citizens,  and  universal  eligibility  to  office.  After 
having  been  secretary  of  the  constituent  assembly,  he  was 
appointed  on  the  different  military  committees,  from  which  he 
made  several  remarkable  reports,  on  the  organization  of  the 
National  Guard  ;  the  maintenance  of  discipline  in  the  army ; 
and  the  means  of  protecting  the  country  from  military  usurpa- 
tion. One  of  his  most  constant  and  active  opponents  was  his 
brother,  the  Marquis  de  Beauharnois,  who  was  also  a  member 
of  the  assembly,  but  belonged  to  the  Cote  droit. 

It  is  related  by  Mercier,  in  his  Picture  of  Paris,  that  the 
vicomte  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  preparations  for  the 
festival  of  the  federation,  celebrated  in  the  Champ  de  Mars, 
on  the  14th  of  July,  1790.  He  figured  in  the  procession, 
harnessed  to  the  same  car  with  the  Abbe"  Sieyes. 

Sincerely  devoted  to  the  true  interests  of  his  country,  he 


298  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

warned  the  nobles  that  the  time  had  come,  when  they  must 
declare  themselves  ;  that  as  yet,  nothing  was  done  for  the 
people,  who  had  many  just  causes  of  complaint,  and  that  pru- 
dence alone  could  now  avert  bloodshed  and  save  Louis  XYI. 
Beauharnois  was  president  of  the  National  Assembly  at 
the  time  of  the  king's  flight,  on  the  21st  of  June,  1791.  He 
displayed  the  true  firmness  of  antiquity  in  announcing  to  the 
deputies  this  disastrous  intelligence.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  he, 
on  taking  the  chair,  "  the  king  set  out  last  night :  let  us  proceed 
to  the  order  of  the  day.'1'  His  dignity  and  presence  of  mind 
extorted  admiration  even  from  his  enemies,  and  procured  his 
re-election  to  the  presidency  on  the  ensuing  31st  of  July.  At 
the  close  of  the  session,  he  joined  the  army  of  the  north,  with 
the  rank  of  adjutant-general.  His  behavior  at  the  rout  of 
Mons,  April  29th,  IT 92,  was  highly  commended  by  Biron, 
then  general-in-chief ;  and  in  the  beginning  of  August,  the 
command  of  the  camp  at  Soissons  was  entrusted  to  him  by 
General  Custine.  After  the  memorable  10th  of  August,  the 
army  commissioners  of  the  legislative  assembly  distinguished 
him  as  one  of  the  generals  who  still  continued  in  the  service 
—  faithful  to  their  honor  and  their  country.  Two  months 
afterwards  he  addressed  a  proclamation  to  the  army  of  the 
Rhine,  and  in  December  his  conduct  was  again  made  the 
theme  of  praise  by  Custine,  and  Sache  the  minister  of  war. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1793,  he  was  proclaimed  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army  of  the  Rhine,  and  shortly  afterwards  he 
declined  the  ministry  of  war.  The  nobles  were  at  this  period 
wholly  excluded  from  military  employment,  and  Beauharnois, 
with  a  feeling  of  honorable  pride,  placed  his  resignation  in 
the  hands  of  the  deputies  of  the  convention.  This  they  at 
first  refused,  but  it  was  finally  accepted  on  the  21st  of  August, 
with  the  usual  order  to  retire  to  the  distance  of  twenty  leagues 
from  the  capital.  Leaving  General  Landremont  in  command 
of  the  army,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  the  estate  of  Beau- 
harnois, near  La  Ferte  Imbaut  (Loir  et  Cher),  which  had 
been  erected  into  a  marquisate  for  his  father.     He  had  pre- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  299 

viously  been  the  subject  of  several  denunciations,  which  were 
answered  in  his  "Observations  on  the  Proscription  of  the 
Nobles,"  and  had  now  scarcely  reached  his  new  abode  before 
fresh  accusations  assailed  him,  to  which  he  replied  with  the 
dignity  of  conscious  innocence.  All  was  in  vain  ;  he  wag 
arrested  and  imprisoned  in  Paris. 

The  court,  as  if  impelled  by  an  irresistible  fatality,  had 
afforded  to  republican  insurrection  the  pretext  of  warlike  in- 
vasion and  foreign  alliance.  The  Marquis  de  Beauharnois, 
brother  of  the  vicomte,  was  one  of  those  imprudent  adherents 
of  monarchy,  who,  by  their  blind  devotion  to  their  party, 
mainly  contributed  to  the  overflow  of  a  torrent  which  no 
barrier  could  withstand.  Wherever  a  government  is  exposed 
to  sudden  change,  and  the  interests  of  relationship  are 
mingled  with  political  passions,  it  commonly  happens  that 
members  of  the  same  family  espouse  opposite  parties.  Thus 
in  Scotland,  during  the  last  ceutury,  nothing  was  more  fre- 
quent than  to  see  one  nobleman  a  zealous  Jacobite,  while  his 
son  or  brother  remained  a  faithful  adherent  of  the  house  of 
Brunswick.  In  every  event  of  the  contest,  the  family  posses- 
sions were  secured  ;  for  natural  feeling  afforded  an  excellent 
pretext  for  the  protection  or  pardon  of  the  defeated.  But  the 
political  opposition  of  the  two  Beauharnois  was  the  result  of 
no  selfish  calculation.  Each  was  firmly  convinced  of  the 
rectitude  of  his  principles,  and  each  underwent  the  severest 
punishment  of  consistency — the  ingratitude  of  his  party.  The 
vicomte,  after  having  shone  with  distinction  in  the  constituent 
assembly,  and  commanded  with  honor  the  armies  of  the 
republic,  perished  on  the  scaffold  on  the  23d  of  July,  in  the 
thirty-fourth  year  of  his  age  ;  bequeathing  to  his  children  a 
rich  heritage  of  glory,  worthy  of  the  proud  motto  of  their 
house — "Serve  no  further."  In  1815,  it  was  only  by  the 
heroic  devotion  of  Madame  Lavallette,  that  her  husband,  the 
son-in-law  of  the  marquis,  was  rescued  from  a  similar  fate. 

The  Vicomte  de  Beauharnois  married  in  Martinique  Jo- 
sephine Rose  Tascher  de  la  Pagei'ie  ;  a  creole  lady  of  distin- 


300  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTOR1 

guished  birth.  Previous  to  her  marriage,  her  attention  waa 
one  day  attracted  by  a  group  of  slaves,  collected  around  an 
old  negro  sybil,  who  was  telling  their  fortunes.  Josephine 
stopped  ;  and  the  hag  no  sooner  perceived  her  new  auditor, 
than,  uttering  a  loud  shriek,  she  seized  her  hand  in  the  utmost 
agitation.  "You  must  certainly  discover  something  very 
striking  in  my  appearance,"  said  Josephine  :  "  Well  —  shall 
my  fortune  be  good  or  evil  ?"  "Both  1"  "I  must  confess, 
my  good  woman,  that  your  predictions  are  quite  vague  enougk 
to  run  no  risk  of  contradiction."  The  old  woman  raised  hei 
eyes  with  a  singular  expression.  "  Come,  come,"  pursued 
Josephine,  whose  curiosity  now  began  to  be  excited,  "let  ma 
know  what  is  to  be  read  in  the  story  of  the  future  !"  "In 
the  future  —  ah  !  you  will  not  believe  me  if  I  tell."  "Oh, 
yes  !  I  promise  you  full  credence,  my  good  mother ;  tell  mt- 
what  I  have  to  hope  or  fear."  "  If  you  insist  on  it — listen  ! 
You  will  soon  marry — your  union  will  be  unhappy — you  will 
be  left  a  widow.  Then  you  will  become  queen  of  France  ;  you 
will  have  mighty  armies  at  your  feet ;  but  you  will  die  in  a 
revolution."  On  finishing  this  extraordinary  prediction  the 
old  woman  retreated  with  as  much  activity  as  her  age  per- 
mitted. 

Josephine  prohibited  her  slaves  from  rallying  the  sybil  on 
her  "ridiculous  prophecy."  She  made  use  of  the  apparent 
absurdity  of  the  promise  to  prove  to  the  young  negresses  her 
slender  belief  in  its  fulfilment,  and  it  was  treated  merely  as  a 
subject  for  family  merriment.  In  fact,  there  was  little  reason 
to  imagine  that  a  young  West  Indian  girl  could  by  any  revo- 
lution be  seated  on  the  first  throne  in  the  world.  Life  and 
death  in  her  native  island,  seemed  the  unchangeable  destiny 
of  Mademoiselle  Tascher.  She  became  the  wife  of  the 
Yicomte  de  Beauharnois,  and  in  1780,  gave  birth  to  a  son, 
afterwards  Prince  Eugene,  viceroy  of  Italy.  He  was  three 
years  older  than  his  sister  Hortense. 

The  cause  of  American  emancipation  was  too  popular  in 
France,  not  to  ensure  an  enthusiastic  reception  to  the  return* 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  301 

ing  officers  who  had  aided  it  with  their  courage.  To  this 
recommendation,  Beauharnois  added  a  prepossessing  exterior, 
agreeable  accomplishments,  and  polished  manners.  The 
society  of  one  so  eminently  qualified  to  shine  was  everywhere 
courted  ;  and  with  the  natural  facility  of  youth,  he  gave  him- 
self up  unreservedly  to  the  seductions  of  the  great  world. 
Josephine,  thus  deserted  by  the  man  of  her  choice,  resolved 
to  seek  consolation  in  the  place  of  her  birth,  and  commisera- 
tion in  the  sympathy  of  her  family.  She  sailed  for  Martinique 
in  1181. 

Eugene  remained  with  his  father  :  his  sister,  then  only  three 
years  old,  accompanied  her  mother  across  the  seas.  The  vessel 
in  which  Madame  Beauharnois  had  embarked,  encountered  a 
violent  storm,  and  Hortense  thus  commenced  a  severe  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  dangers  and  misfortunes  which  afterwards 
so  nearly  balanced  the  glory  of  her  brilliant  career.  In  the 
convulsion  of  the  elements,  she  might  then  have  seen  a  fit 
emblem  of  that  tempest  of  human  passion  of  which  her  future 
destiny  had  marked  her  for  the  sport. 

It  is  beneath  the  burning  sky  of  the  Antilles  that  the  influ- 
ence of  the  vertical  sun  is  most  strikingly  felt,  rendering  the 
imagination  more  ardent,  and  communicating  to  the  frame 
the  captivating  languor  so  characteristic  of  the  Creoles. 
Hortense  experienced  its  full  effects.  Her  infancy  resembled 
that  of  the  interesting  Virginia,  so  well  described  by  St. 
Pierre  in  the  episode  to  the  Etudes  de  la  Nature,  a  work 
which,  for  perfection  of  detail  and  splendor  of  coloring, 
seems  to  defy  imitation.  Hortense,  compassionate  and  tender- 
hearted as  Virginia  herself,  was  deeply  shocked  by  the 
miseries  of  slavery,  which,  in  her  childish  charity,  she  strove 
to  alleviate  Like  her  also,  the  constant  object  of  maternal 
solicitude,  she  imbibed  from  the  cares,  the  endearments  and 
the  example  of  Josephine,  the  witching  grace  and  captivating 
sensibility,  which  afterwards  won  every  heart  and  rivetted 
unwavering  affection.  Thus  she,  who  was  one  day  to  rule 
over  subjects,  was  first  the  mistress  of  slaves ;  but  Hortense 
26 


302  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

was  ever  humane  and  compassionate,  though  accustomed  from 
her  infancy  to  dominion.  It  is  only  when  the  hand  of  woman 
tempers  the  rigor  of  power,  when  her  voice  softens  the  evils 
of  misgovernment,  that  the  unfortunate  forget  the  burthen  of 
their  chains,  and  contented  with  the  illusion  of  liberty,  sigh 
no  longer  for  its  lost  reality. 

The  effects  of  the  French  revolution  in  the  colonies  were 
proportioned  to  the  violent  passions  of  the  inhabitants  of 
sultry  regions,  and  the  deep  hatred  excited  in  the  minds  of 
the  slaves  by  the  tyranny  of  their  masters.  The  tremendous 
explosion  of  St.  Domingo  reverberated  through  the  Antilles. 
The  existence  of  Hortense  and  her  mother  was  frequently 
menaced  by  conflagration  and  the  sword ;  for  the  blacks  per- 
secuted an  entire  race,  and  not  individuals.  Humanity, 
mildness,  and  benevolence  were  already  associated  with  the 
name  of  Josephine,  inspiring  everywhere  affection  and  respect. 
The  simple  annunciation,  "lam  Madame  de  Beauharnois— - 
this  is  my  daughter,"  was  sufficient  to  disarm  the  violence  of 
the  assassins,  and  she  was  fortunately  enabled  to  reach  a  sea- 
port and  embark  for  France.  Evils  of  still  greater  magni- 
tude awaited  her  return,  and  made  a  deep  impression  on  the 
mind  of  Hortense.  She  soon  learned  that  there  is  but  a 
single  step  from  power  to  servitude,  from  happiness  to  misfor- 
tuue.  This  first  lesson  of  adversity  was  not  given  in  vain  ; 
and,  notwithstanding  its  severity,  it  was  neither  the  last  nor 
the  least  painful  she  was  destined  to  endure. 

The  ardent  attachment  of  the  vicomte  to  the  principles  of 
the  revolution  had  never  cooled  for  an  instant,  but  a  new  and 
more  determined  faction  had  overthrown  all  its  rivals,  and 
was  now  in  full  possession  of  power.  Beauharnois  was  im- 
prisoned ;  for  the  advocates  of  moderation  and  the  partisans 
of  ancient  privileges  were  equally  obnoxious  to  gloomy 
fanaticism.  His  wife,  losing  all  remembrance  of  former 
wrongs,  was  only  sensible  of  his  misfortunes.  To  love  and 
believe,  to  suffer  and  forgive — such  is  female  life.  She  used 
every  exertion   to   relieve   his   situation.     Inconstancy   had 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  303 

wounded  her  feelings,  but  she  had  never  ceased  to  love  her 
husband ;  and  her  truth  was  displayed,  when,  without  advan- 
tage to  him,  it  could  only  involve  her  in  his  fate.  Beauharnois 
was  much  moved  by  this  generous  conduct,  and  in  several 
affecting  letters,  written  when  no  hope  remained  of  escaping 
the  scaffold,  he  warmly  commended  his  children  to  her  care. 

Josephine,  becoming  in  her  turn  an  object  of  suspicion, 
was  also  confined.  Up  to  this  time  she  had  scarcely  bestowed 
a  thought  upon  the  fortune-teller  of  Martinique  ;  but  now,  by 
a  common  inconsistency  of  human  nature,  the  prediction 
recurred  to  her  remembrance  amid  the  gloom  of  a  prison. 
Her  mind  became  accustomed  to  dwell  upon  its  promises,  and 
she  ended  by  a  firm  belief  in  its  easy  accomplishment. 

One  morning  the  jailor  entered  the  cell,  which  she  occupied 
in  common  with  the  Duchess  of  Aiguillon,  afterwards  Madame 
Louis  de  Girardin,)  and  two  other  ladies,  and  announced 
abruptly,  that  he  came  to  remove  her  bed,  which  was  wanted 
for  another  prisoner.  "  Of  course,"  said  Madame  D'Aiguil- 
lon,  with  vivacity,  "  Madame  de  Beauharnois  is  to  be  pro- 
vided with  a  better?"  The  keeper  answered  savagely, 
"  There  will  be  little  need  of  that,  as  she  is  to  go  at  once  to 
the  Conciergerie,  and  thence  to  the  guillotine."  This  cruel 
warning  drew  loud  shrieks  from  her  companions  in  misfortune, 
but  Josephine  attempted  the  task  of  consolation.  At  length 
she  begged  them  earnestly  to  calm  all  their  fears,  as  she  was 
assured,  not  only  of  present  safety,  but  of  living  and  reigning 
the  queen  of  France.  "  It  is  a  pity  that  you  don't  appoint 
your  attendants,"  cried  Madame  D'Aiguillon,  angrily.  "Ah  ! 
that  is  very  true — I  had  forgotten.  Well,  my  dear,  you  shall 
be  one  of  my  ladies  of  honor  :  come — you  have  my  promise." 
At  these  words  her  companions  burst  into  tears ;  for  they 
could  account  fur  the  ill-timed  pleasantry  onlj  by  supposing 
thnt  she  had  lost  her  senses. 

Madame  D'Aiguillon  was  much  overcome.  Josephine  led 
her  towards  a  window,  which  she  threw  open  to  give  her  air. 
A  woman  of  ordinary  appearance  was  noticed  below,  who 


304  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

seemed  to  be  making  some  extraordinary  signals.  She  shook 
her  dress  (robe)  violently,  a  gesture  which  at  first  was  inex- 
plicable. At  length  Josephine  cried  out  "  Robe,"  the  woman 
nodded,  and  immediately  seizing  a  pebble  (pierre)  recom- 
menced her  gestures.  Josephine  again  cried  "Pierre,"  and 
the  woman,  apparently  much  gratified,  again  expressed  assent. 
Then  placing  her  gown  and  the  pebble  together,  she  repre- 
sented the  motion  of  cutting  a  throat,  dancing  and  clapping 
her  hands  at  the  same  time,  with  great  glee.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  describe  the  joy  with  which  the  captives  ven- 
tured to  hope  that  the  death  of  Robespierre  was  thus  an- 
nounced to  them. 

While  they  were  still  divided  between  hope  and  fear,  a  dis- 
turbance in  the  gallery  attracted  their  attention,  and  they 
presently  distinguished  the  rough  voice  of  their  turnkey,  who 
was  kicking  his  dog  and  crying  out,  "  Get  along,  you  damned 
Robespierre  !"  This  energetic  expression  assured  our  ladies 
that  there  was  little  to  apprehend,  and  that  France  was  saved. 
In  fact,  a  short  time  afterwards,  their  companions  in  misfor- 
tune burst  into  the  cell  to  communicate  the  tidings  of  the 
great  events  of  the  9th  Thermidor.  "  Well,"  said  Josephine, 
as  her  bed  was  returned,  "  you  see  I  am  not  destined  to  be 
guillotined.     I  shall  certainly  be  queen  of  France." 

We  may  pardon  the  youthful  Hortense  for  anticipating  the 
future  completion  of  a  prophecy,  which  she  thus  saw  partially 
accomplished,  in  the  preservation  of  her  mother  when  destruc- 
tion had  appeared  inevitable.  The  superior  intelligence  of 
Josephine  could  not  have  placed  its  firm  reliance  on  such  a 
fallacy  ;  though  reason  and  imagination  have  but  slender  con- 
nection in  the  mind  of  a  Creole.  Perhaps  she  may  have 
entertained  hope  of  its  fulfilment,  at  the  very  time  that  she 
treated  the  prediction  with  the  greatest  ridicule.  It  is  in  this 
way  that  we  may  explain  an  intimacy  (which  was,  however, 
much  exaggerated)  with  a  fortune-teller,  who  at  least  has 
evinced  a  constant  and  grateful  remembrance  of  the  favors 
received. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  305 

But  what  was  the  impression  made  upon  the  mind  of  Hor- 
tense  by  the  promise  of  so  brilliant  a  future  ?  More  than 
once  she  made  it  the  foundation  of  those  pleasing  dreams, 
which  are  courted  with  equal  eagerness  by  childhood,  the 
flower  of  life,  and  age  itself.  Happier,  doubtless,  would  she 
have  been,  had  destiny  reserved  for  her  a  fortune  less  brilliant 
or  less  unequal ;  and  if  she  had  felt  in  the  morning  of  her 
years  all  the  truth  of  the  wise  motto  she  afterwards  adopted — 
"  Little  known,  little  troubled"  (peu  conne,  peu  troublee).1 

After  her  liberation,  Josephine  became  extremely  intimate 
with  Madame  Tallien,2  at  whose  house  she  met  Barras.     To 

1  "On  reaching  home,  I  found  your  new  romance.  I  think  it  very 
pretty ;  and  although  accustomed  to  agreeable  things  from  you,  I  am 
not  the  less  struck  with  your  facility  in  composing  good  verses.  Who- 
ever told  you  my  motto,  has  changed  it  a  little.  'Less  known,  less 
troubled,'  is  the  one  I  chose  long  ago,  because  it  is  so  well  suited  to  a 
woman.  In  prosperous  days,  my  friends  used  to  add,  '  More  known, 
more  loved ;'  they  knew  my  only  ambition,  and  wished  to  make  me 
think  that  I  really  possessed  what  I  most  desired.  Perhaps  they  think 
no  more  about  it  now,  so  that  my  first  motto  is,  after  all,  the  only  one 
that  befits  me. 

"  So,  you  have  been  exhibiting  my  letters !  Were  we  better  acquainted, 
we  should  certainly  fall  out,  but  you  ought  to  be  excused  for  this  fault, 
as  you  had  mistaken  my  motto.  I  had  seriously  resolved  not  to  write 
you  another  line.  I  neither  choose  to  be  praised  for  what  I  write,  nor 
to  be  read  by  those  to  whom  I  have  never  written.  My  mind  changed 
in  the  course  of  the  excursion,  for  they  told  me  that  all  the  world  had 
not  dealt  kindly  by  you,  and  I  do  not  choose  to  resemble  all  the  world: 
on  the  contrary,  the  ill  will  of  others  only  increases  my  interest  in  your 
behalf.  I  shall  begin  a  collection  of  mottoes  for  new  romances,  without 
the  least  fear  of  imposing  on  your  good  nature :  I  see  you  have  a  great 
deal,  and  I  am  pleased  to  tell  you  how  much  you  have  obliged  me." — 
Letter  from  Hortense. 

3  Mademoiselle  Tabarus,  the  daughter  of  a  Spanish  banker,  and  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  women  of  her  day,  married  Tallien  to  save  her 
father's  life  from  the  condemnation  of  a  revolutionary  tribunal.  On  the 
8th  Fructidor,  several  deputies,  included  in  the  proscription  list  of 
Robespierre,  agreed  to  attack  him  in  the  convention.  Tallien,  at  whose 
house  they  had  assembled,  seeing  them  falter  in  their  resolution, 
26*  u 


306  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  patronage  of  the  latter,  who  became  shortly  afterwards 
the  head  of  the  directory,  she  was  indebted  for  the  restoration 
of  a  part  of  her  fortune. 

During  the  imprisonment  of  Hortense's  parents  one  of  Jo- 
sephine's friends,  the  Princess  of  Hohenzollern,  was  struck 
with  compassion  for  the  destitute  condition  of  the  two  young 
Beauharnais.  As  her  residence  in  Paris  was  rendered  dan- 
gerous by  proscription,  she  proposed  to  carry  them  with  her, 
into  Germany.  This  design  was  found  impracticable  :  the 
princess  set  out  alone,  and  the  unfortunate  children  remained 
in  Paris,  with  no  other  protection  than  that  of  an  old  nurse. 
The  cares  of  education  could  be  little  attended  to,  when  even 
the  means  of  existence  were  of  difficult  attainment.  The 
labors  of  the  nurse  were  soon  found  insufficient  for  the  main- 
tenance of  three  persons ;  but  Hortense,  though  still  very 
young,  evinced  that  energy  of  character,  which,  in  after  life, 
was  so  useful  in  enabling  her  to  support  adversity.  Both  she 
and  her  brother  determined  to  labor  for  their  common  liveli- 
hood. Eugene  hired  himself  to  a  joiner,  and  Hortense  went 
to  a  mantuamaker's.  Her  patience  under  every  privation, 
showed  how  deeply  rooted  were  those  principles  of  perseve- 
rance and  resignation,  which  had  been  so  sedulously  and  suc- 
cessfully inculcated  by  her  excellent  mother. 

The  liberation  of  Josephine  was  the  means  of  restoring  her 
daughter  to  comfort  and  to  her  studies.  She  was  placed  at 
a  boarding-school  at  St.  Germain  ;  which,  though  but  recently 
opened,  had  already  acquired  a  well-deserved  reputation. 
The  sense,  talent,  and  purity  of  principle  of  Madame  Campan, 

addressed  them  thus:  'Cowards!  since  you  hesitate  to  deliver  France 
from  a  monster,  I  am  determined  that  you  shall  never  live  to  witness 
the  destruction  of  your  country.  I  go  this  instant  to  denounce  your 
treason.'  The  deputies  were  electrified ;  resolution  was  restored,  and 
France  was  saved.  The  next  day,  Robespierre,  condemned  as  soon  as 
accused,  perished  by  the  guillotine.  Madame  Tallien  is  now  married 
to  the  Prince  of  Chimay 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  30T 

the  head  of  the  establishment,  were  sufficient  to  ensure  its 
complete  success.1 

The  conspicuous  services  rendered  by  Madame  Campan, 
uuder  the  empire,  in  the  field  of  education,  have  created  for 
her  the  most  solid  claims  to  public  esteem.  She  possessed 
every  requisite  for  forming  the  mind,  the  heart,  and  the  man- 
ners of  youth.  On  the  last,  she  could  bestow  the  polished 
urbanity  of  the  old  court,  where  her  superior  talents  and 
knowledge  had  obtained  honorable  notice.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen,  she  had  been  appointed  reader  to  the  daughter  of 
Louis  XV.  ;  and  Marie  Antoinette  shortly  afterwards  attached 
her  more  immediately  to  her  own  person,  by  promoting  a 
marriage  with  her  private  secretary.  Ruined  like  so  many 
others,  by  the  revolution,  she  determined,  after  the  9th  Ther- 
midor,  to  turn  her  talents  to  account  by  opening  a  boarding- 
school.  In  a  short  time,  the  reputation  of  St.  Germain 
rivalled  the  ancient  renown  of  the  establishment  of  St.  Cyr, 
founded  by  Madame  de  Maintenon.  Every  distinguished 
personage  of  the  day  was  sure  to  have  a  relative  under  the 
care  of  Madame  Campan,  and  some  of  her  scholars  after- 
wards rose  to  royalty.  Even  the  amusements  of  St.  Germain 
yielded  in  nothing  to  those  of  St.  Cyr ;  for  though  the  former 
could  boast  no  Racine  as  its  religious  laureate,  yet  the  young 
and  gifted  pupils  alternately  performed  his  Esther  and 
Athalie  —  the  great  master-pieces  of  the  French  drama.  If 
they  were  not  honored  by  the  presence  of  Louis  le  Grand, 
their  audience  was  composed  of  that  crowd  of  young  soldiers 
who  already  gave  lustre  to  the  arms  of  France,  and  their 
judge  was  he  whose  name  was  but  another  name  for  victory, 

1  After  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  Madame  Campan  was  appointed  by 
Napoleon  to  superintend  the  school  at  Ecouen,  where  she  remained 
until  its  suppression  at  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons.  She  then  re- 
tired to  Nantes,  where  she  died  on  the  16th  of  March,  1822.  In  her 
last  moments,  she  displayed  the  calmness  of  a  sage,  and  the  pious  hop© 
of  a  sincere  Christian. 


308  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

and  whose  exertions  promised  the  restoration  of  its  depressed 
arts  to  his  suffering  country. 

Among  the  companions  of  Hortense  at  Madame  Campan's, 
were  her  cousin  Stephanie,  afterwards  Grand  Dutchess  of 
Baden — Caroline  Bonaparte,  the  future  Queen  of  Naples,  and 
several  others,  both  relatives  and  connections  by  her  mother's 
6econd  marriage.  But  in  forming  one  of  those  friendships 
of  childhood,  which  become  almost  a  part  of  our  nature  and 
seldom  end  but  with  life,  Hortense  was  guided  neither  by  the 
ties  of  blood,  nor  the  pride  of  rank.  The  person  to  whom 
she  became  most  attached  was  not  a  relation,  nor  was  she 
destined  to  royalty.  A  niece  of  Madame  Campan  —  Adele 
Auguie,  afterwards  Madame  de  Broc  —  became  her  constant 
and  faithful  attendant.  She  followed  Hortense  on  her  de- 
parture from  St.  Germain,  and  remained  with  her  until  their 
friendship  was  severed  by  death. 

Notwithstanding  the  apparent  equality  of  all  the  boarders, 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  prevent  the  relatives  of  him  who 
ruled  France  and  dictated  to  Europe,  from  being  spoiled  by 
their  companions  and  their  mistress.  At  the  same  time,  the 
care  bestowed  by  Madame  Campan  on  the  education  of  Hor- 
tense, was  far  from  being  lost.  This  sagacious  instructress 
delighted  to  repeat  that  "talents  were  the  wealth  of  the  rich 
and  the  ornament  of  the  poor."  Her  pupil  —  besides  ac- 
quiring the  general  branches  of  education — excelled  in  all  the 
agreeable  accomplishments,  and  the  success  of  her  debut  in 
society  fully  justified  the  truth  of  the  favorite  maxim.  The 
following  valuable  letter  shows  how  completely  Josephine  had 
retained  in  the  midst  of  grandeur,  her  native  modesty,  sim- 
plicity and  justness  of  principle. 

To  Madame  de  Campan  —  St.  Germain. 

"  In  returning  you  my  niece,  my  dear  Madame  Campan,  I 
Bend  you  both  thanks  and  reproof — thanks,  for  the  brilliant 
education  you  have  given  her,  and  reproof  for  the  faults  which 
your  acuteness  must  have  noticed,  but  which  your  indulgence 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  309 

has  passed  over.  She  is  good  tempered,  but  cold ;  well 
informed,  but  disdainful ;  lively,  but  deficient  in  judgment. 
She  pleases  nobody  and  it  gives  her  no  pain.  She  fancies 
the  renown  of  her  uncle  and  the  gallantry  of  her  father  are 
everything.  Teach  her ;  but  teach  her  plainly,  without 
mincing,  that  in  reality  they  are  nothing.  We  live  in  an  age 
when  every  one  is  the  child  of  his  own  deeds ;  and  if  they 
who  fill  the  highest  ranks  of  public  service  enjoy  any  superior 
advantage  or  privilege,  it  is  the  opportunity  of  being  more 
useful  and  more  beloved.  It  is  thus  alone  that  good  fortune 
becomes  pardonable  in  the  eyes  of  the  envious.  This  is  what 
I  would  have  you  repeat  to  her  constantly.  I  wish  her  to 
treat  all  her  companions  as  her  equals  :  many  of  them  are 
better,  or  at  least  quite  as  deserving  as  she  is  herself,  and 
their  only  inferiority  is  in  not  having  had  relations  equally 
skilful  or  equally  fortunate. 

"  Josephine  Bonaparte.  " 

But  the  new  signature  of  the  mother  of  Hortense  reminds 
us  that  we  have  somewhat  anticipated  events  —  let  us  resume 
our  narrative. 

We  have  already  mentioned  Barras  and  Tallien  as  friends 
of  Madame  de  Beauharnois.  Bonaparte,  then  a  general 
officer,  also  belonged  to  their  circle,  and  his  feelings  were 
excited  towards  Josephine  by  the  following  occurrence.  A 
general  disarming  of  the  people  was  one  of  the  chief  precau- 
tionary measures  of  police,  undertaken  after  the  insurrection 
of  Vendemiaire,  and  entrusted  to  him  for  execution,  in  his 
capacity  of  commander  in  chief  of  the  army  of  the  interior. 
One  day  his  aid-de-camp,  Lemarrois,  introduced  a  boy  of 
fourteen,  who  earnestly  begged  the  return  of  a  sword  seized 
by  the  police  :  it  had  been  the  weapon  of  his  father,  once  in 
the  chief  command  of  the  forces  of  the  republic,  and  it  seemed 
an  act  of  ingratitude  thus  to  deprive  a  son  of  the  last  relic 
of  an  unfortunate  and  respected  parent.  The  sword  was 
returned,  and  on  seeing  it,  the  boy  burst  into  tears.     The 


310  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

firmness,  enthusiasm,  graceful  manners,  and  filial  affection  of 
the  young  Eugene,  for  it  was  he,  excited  a  lively  interest  in 
Bonaparte,  and  induced  him  to  mention  the  occurrence  to 
Barras,  at  an  evening  party.  Madame  Beauharnois  appeared 
shortly  afterwards,  and  Bonaparte  congratulated  her  on  pos- 
sessing so  interesting  a  son.  Before  the  end  of  the  evening, 
he  became  convinced  that  Josephine  was  worthy  of  being  the 
mother  of  Eugene  :  the  intimacy  thus  begun,  gave  rise  to  a 
mutual  attachment,  which  increased  every  day,  and  soon 
terminated  in  marriage.  This  was  in  1796.  Bonaparte  set 
out  for  his  memorable  campaign  of  Italy,  and  subsequently 
embarked  for  Egypt.  After  the  latter  expedition  the  whole 
family  was  reunited.,  for  Hortense,  then  about  seventeen,  fre- 
quently left  her  boarding-school  to  pay  long  visits  to  Paris. 

On  his  arrival  at  the  capital,  Bonaparte  resumed  the  same 
laborious  and  secluded  manner  of  life  which  he  had  led  on 
returning  from  Rastadt  —  appearing  but  little  in  public; 
always  occupying  a  latticed  box  at  the  theatre  ;  frequenting 
none  but  literary  society,  and  never  dining  with  the  directors, 
except  in  private.  He  found  it,  indeed,  impossible  to  decline 
the  public  dinner  given  to  him  by  the  legislative  councils  in 
the  Temple  of  Victory  (St.  Sulpice) ;  but  he  only  remained 
an  hour,  and  quitted  the  entertainment  in  company  with 
Moreau.  This  retirement,  which  appeared  a  necessary  relaxa- 
tion from  his  labors  in  the  service  of  the  State,  was  universally 
respected.  The  resumption  of  habits  which  had  ever  distin- 
guished important  epochs  in  his  career,  was  attributed  by 
many  to  deep  designs  for  restoring  the  dignity  of  the  nation, 
and  for  alleviating  the  public  distress. 

The  conspiracies  against  the  directory  had  now  become 
universal.  On  all  sides,  Bonaparte  was  entreated  to  place 
himself  at  the  head,  not  of  a  rebellion,  but  of  a  revolution. 
He  was  even  made  the  confidant  of  the  various  schemes  and 
designs  which  divided  the  members  of  the  government,  for 
there  were  plots  among  the  directors  themselves.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  different  factious  may  be  thus  described.    Augereau 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  311 

and  Bernadotte,  representing  the  radicals  of  the  Manbge, 
offered  to  place  him  at  the  head  of  the  republic.  Others 
again,  proposed  the  overthrow  both  of  the  directory  and  the 
manege.  Among  these  was  Fouche,  who  had  broken  with 
the  latter ;  and  who,  though  a  member  of  the  ministry,  had 
commenced  the  same  game  which  he  afterwards  continued  to 
play  with  all  the  successive  governments.  Bonaparte  was 
also  exposed  to  the  flatteries  of  another  minister,  who,  if  his 
conduct  has  partaken  too  much  of  the  rapid  versatility  of  the 
events,  in  which  for  forty  years  he  has  taken  such  active  part, 
at  least  offers  some  atonement  by  all  the  personal  superiority 
that  genius  and  profound  knowledge  can  bestow  on  a  states- 
man. Such  has  been  the  ascendency  of  his  distinguished 
merit,  that  every  new  dynasty  has  paid  to  it  the  tribute  of 
official  employment.  Influencing  the  diplomacy  of  Europe 
for  many  years  ;  moving  all  the  wires  at  pleasure  ;  directing 
in  secret  every  spring,  he  thus  became  indispensable  to  the 
ambitious  ;  who,  after  seizing  the  supreme  power,  availed 
themselves  of  his  experience  to  retain  their  elevation. 

Among  the  directors  themselves,  discord  was  at  its  height ; 
and  they  intrigued  separately  with  Bonaparte  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  joint  power.  Sieves,  with  many  members  of  the 
council  of  ancients,  solicited  him  to  head  the  moderate  party, 
who  were  to  establish  a  constitution  which  he  had  prepared 
in  secret.  Roger  Ducos  was  the  mere  shadow  of  Sieyes,  and 
his  constant  concurrence  with  his  colleague  might  be  taken 
for  granted.  Barras,  Moulins,  and  Gohier,  were  all  desirous 
that  Bonaparte  should  resume  the  command  of  the  army  of 
Italy  :  the  first,  in  order  to  withdraw  him  from  politics  ;  the 
others,  merely  to  employ  him  as  the  military  engine  of  their 
power.  They  were  not  aware  that  the  times  of  the  18th 
Fructidor  had  gone  by.  These  plots  were  generally  known  • 
the  most  formidable  was  still  a  secret. 

Bonaparte's  counsellors  in  the  present  critical  position  of 
his  affairs,  were  all  men  of  talents  and  experience,  such  as 
Cambaceres,   Roedcrer,    Real,    and    Regnault   do    St.  Jean 


312  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

d'Angeley.  Sieves,  a  Provencal  and  an  old  acquaintance  of 
the  ambitious  general,  was  the  only  director  who  possessed 
any  share  of  his  confidence,  and  in  fact,  was  the  only  one  who 
deserved  it.  As  for  Barras  and  Moulins,  he  had  long  known 
how  to  appreciate  them. 

On  the  8th  of  Brumaire,  Bonaparte  dined  with  Barras,  — 
who  communicated  to  him  in  pretended  confidence,  his  deter- 
mination to  retire  from  the  head  of  affairs.  The  chief  director 
explained  the  necessity  of  adopting  another  form  of  govern- 
ment for  France,  and  of  selecting  General  H£douville  as  the 
only  proper  president  of  the  republic.  As  for  Bonaparte,  he 
proposed  to  place  him  at  the  head  of  a  French  army,  with 
which  he  should  conquer  the  old  Cisalpine  commonwealth, 
and  retain  its  sovereignty  for  his  own  private  profit.  It  was 
clear  that  the  name  of  Htfdouville  was  a  mere  cover  for  that 
of  Barras  himself,  and  Bonaparte,  by  a  single  glance,  gave 
him  to  understand  that  the  design  was  perfectly  comprehended. 
On  quitting  the  director,  the  general  sought  out  Sieves,  to 
whom  his  own  plan  of  revolution  was  exhibited.  They  were 
soon  agreed,  and  the  execution  of  their  project  was  arranged 
for  some  period  between  the  15th  and  20th  of  Brumaire. 

The  news  of  this  conference  with  his  colleague  soon  reached 
Barras,  and  it  produced  a  visit  to  Bonaparte  early  next  morn- 
ing, in  which  the  confidence  of  the  preceding  day  was  renewed, 
and  the  blame  of  the  weakness  of  his  plans  laid  on  the  im- 
potence of  the  government.  He  concluded  by  declaring  that 
he  threw  himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  only  man  who  could 
save  his  country.  Bonaparte  was  much  less  open  in  his  ex- 
planations :  he  disclaimed  all  right  to  this  title,  and  alleged 
that  the  restoration  of  his  health  and  the  tranquillity  of 
repose,  were  all  that  he  desired.  It  was  about  this  time  that 
Sieyes  commenced  taking  lessons  in  riding  :  a  piece  of  news 
which  amused  the  gossips  of  Paris,  and  especially  Barras, 
who  took  great  delight  in  watching  from  his  window  the  new 
gymnastics  of  his  grave  colleague. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  garrison  of  Paris,  which  had  served 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  313 

in  Italy  up  to  the  13th  of  Vendemiaire  —  the  forty-eight 
adjutants  of  the  National  Guard,  who  had  been  appointed 
by  Bonaparte  af.er  that  epoch  —  and  General  Moreau,  com- 
mandant of  the  capital,  had  united  in  a  request  to  be  pre- 
sented to  Napoleon  and  afterwards  reviewed.  The  ceremony 
was  deferred  from  day  to  day.  At  length,  on  the  15th, 
Bonaparte  and  Sieyes  had  a  last  decisive  interview  :  the  plan, 
cf  revolution  was  definitely  settled,  and  its  execution  appointed 
for  the  18th. 

Early  on  the  17th  the  commandant  of  Paris,  the  regiments 
of  the   garrison,   and   the   adjutants   of  the   sections,  were 
requested  to   attend  at  Bonaparte's   residence   in   the  Rue 
Chantereine,  at  seven  in  the  morning  of  the  succeeding  day. 
As  this  visit  had  been   long  arranged,  no  importance  was 
attached  to  it.     The  various  officers  on  whom  any  reliance 
could  be  placed,  were  also  invited  for  the  same  hour.    All  of 
these  individuals,  firmly  impressed  with  the  popular  belief  in 
the  immediate  departure  of  the  general  for  the  army  of  Italy, 
imagined  that  they  were  only  to  receive  orders  relative  to  this 
subject.   Neither  Moreau  nor  Macdonald  had  directly  solicited 
any  participation  in  the  arrangements  of  the  plot,  of  which 
the  existence  alone  had  been  confided  to  them ;  but  they  had 
offered  to  assist  its  execution,  and,  with  General  Lefevre,  the 
commandant  of  the  division,  were  invited  to  the  rendezvous 
in  the  Rue  Chantereine.     All  arrived  at  the  appointed  time : 
Bernadotte  was  brought  by  Joseph  Bonaparte.    At  half  past 
eight  a  messenger  appeared  from  the  council   of  ancients, 
bearing  a  decree  passed  by  the  influence  of  Sieyes  and  his 
cabal.     It  was  the  first  manifesto  of  the  revolution,  and  con- 
ferred the  supreme  military  command  on  Bonaparte.     Imme- 
diate nse  was  made  of  the  new  power,  by  intrusting  all  the 
important  parts  of  the  capital  to  his  adherents.     Thus  the 
directors,  who  were  ignorant  of  all  these  events  until  about 
ten  o'clock,  found  themselves,  in  one  moment,  without  power, 
without  protection,  and  deprived   of  all   confidence  in  the 
council,    the   commander-in-chief,    and   the   army.     In   this 
21 


314  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

emergency,  Monlins  proposed  to  Barras  and  Gohier,  to  have 
Bonaparte  instantly  arrested  and  shot ;  but  he  changed  his 
mind  when  the  Luxembourg  was  surrounded  by  a  strong 
guard.  He  then,  along  with  Gohier,  sent  in  his  resignation, 
and  with  him  was  confined  in  the  palace  of  the  government ; 
from  which,  however,  he  succeded  in  making  his  escape. 
Barras  obtained  a  safe  conduct,  and  a  detachment  to  escort 
him  to  Gros  Bois.  Thus  ended  the  Directory.  On  the  suc- 
ceeding day,  the  famous  scene  occurred  at  the  Orangerie  of 
St.  Cloud  ;  when  Bonaparte,  seconded  by  the  firmness  and 
presence  of  mind  of  his  brother  Lucien,  as  well  as  by  the 
bayonets  of  his  grenadiers,  succeeded  in  dissolving  the  council 
of  five  hundred,  and  shutting  up  their  place  of  meeting. 

After  the  18th  of  Brumaire,  Bonaparte  and  his  family 
resided  at  the  Tuilleries.  Here  the  mild  graces  of  Hortense 
appeared  to  great  advantage,  contrasted  with  the  glittering 
display  of  a  new  court,  alive  with  the  stir  of  military  glory. 
She  was  courted  by  the  richest  and  noblest  of  France,  and 
had  now  full  scope  for  the  indulgence  of  those  pleasing 
anticipations  of  a  future  which  so  rarely  falls  out  according 
to  our  hopes  or  our  fears.  But  France,  under  the  sway  of 
the  first  consul,  was  mightier  than  the  France  of  the  old 
monarchy  :  who  might  then  aspire  to  the  honor  of  alliance 
with  its  sovereign  ?  The  sad  destiny  of  princesses — the  obli- 
gation of  loving  according  to  political  necessity  —  must  have 
appeared  to  Hortense  a  heavy  drawback  upon  all  her  gran- 
deur. Girls  of  seventeen  are  not  long  in  feeling  that  they 
possess  an  eye  and  a  heart,  and  can  conceive  no  other  motive 
for  matrimony  than  affection.  Before  this  last  revolution,  the 
fortune  of  her  adopted  father,  which,  whether  in  prosperity 
or  evil,  ever  moved  with  the  strides  of  a  giant,  had  not 
attained  so  high  an  elevation  as  to  give  Hortense  reason  to 
fear  constraint  on  her  inclinations.  At  her  time  of  life,  fancy 
presents  everything  through  a  false  medium,  which  nothing 
but  experience  can  remove :  but  the  motions  of  reason  are 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  316 

slow,  and  she  is  sometimes  too  late  in  destroying  the  iLusion 
and  displaying  the  mortifying  reality. 

Before  etiquette  had  changed  the  drawing-room  of  Madame 
Bonaparte  into  the  brilliant  hall  of  a  sovereign,  it  was  the 
resort  of  the  highest  Parisian  society  :  a  class  which,  at  this 
time,  presented  some  curious  contrasts  of  character  and  situa- 
tion. Around  General  Bonaparte  were,  of  course,  assembled 
the  men  of  high  military  rank,  and  the  chief  public  function- 
aries of  the  directory — all  more  or  less  decided  jacobins,  with 
whom  it  was  yet  necessary  to  preserve  a  good  understanding. 
Josephine,  on  the  other  hand,  was  the  centre  of  a  circle  com- 
posed of  the  courtiers  of  the  old  monarchy,  who  more  or  less 
openly  regretted  the  ancient  order  of  things.  You  might  see 
a  returned  emigrant,  still  nominally  under  sentence  of  death, 
seated  next  to  a  member  of  the  very  convention  which  had 
pronounced  that  sentence  :  while  further  on,  a  royalist  leader, 
secretly  jealous  of  the  renown  of  the  soldier  and  the  power 
of  the  civilian,  concealed  his  envy  under  an  affectation  of 
contempt.  The  perfect  good  breeding  of  Madame  Bonaparte, 
with  the  grave  and  imposing  carriage  of  her  husband,  har- 
monized all  these  various  incongruities. 

Hortense  frequently  made  her  appearance  in  the  drawing- 
room,  and  according  to  court  gossip,  was  much  struck  with 
an  individual  conspicuous  for  all  the  qualities  most  admired 
by  very  young  ladies  —  a  dashing  reputation,  a  fine  figure, 
and  bold  yet  polished  manners.  This  personage  was  M.  de 
Paulo,  a  royalist  of  extravagant  enthusiasm,  who  was  said  to 
have  excited  an  insurrection  of  the  peasantry  in  the  vicinity 
of  Toulouse.  His  good  mien,  his  cast  of  character,  and 
especially  his  misfortunes,  were  found  irresistible  by  Made- 
moiselle Beauharnois,  and  even  Josephine  was  so  far  led 
away,  as  to  allow  some  talk  of  marriage  1  But  the  bombast 
and  vanity  of  young  Paulo  were  by  no  means  to  the  taste  of 
the  first  consul,  who  exiled  him  forthwith  to  Lauguedoc. 

In  the  eyes  of  a  girl  of  seventeen,  faults  of  this  description 
are   seldom   unpardonable   in   au   admirer,    especially  when 


316  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

accompanied  by  striking  qualities.  If  Paulo  had  been  loved 
before  for  the  dangers  he  had  run,  he  became  even  more  inter- 
esting when  persecuted  in  the  cause  of  love.  Hortense  had 
been  duly  impressed  with  tales  of  the  glories  of  the  old  mon- 
archy, under  which  her  ancestors  had  played  so  distinguished 
a  part,  and  her  mind  was  failed  with  descriptions  of  those 
gallant,  graceful,  and  polished  nobles,  who  are  only  to  be 
found  in  the  atmosphere  of  a  court.  De  Paulo  seemed  in 
some  measure  to  realize  these  fancies.  The  throne  had  fallen, 
but  he  was  still  loyal.  Fidelity  in  misfortune  gave  him  a 
melancholy  interest,  and  inspired  that  kind  of  enthusiasm 
always  displayed  by  women  towards  those  who  suffer  for  the 
sake  of  principle.  His  exile  gave  the  last  touch  of  the  pic- 
ture, by  adding  the  mellowing  effects  of  absence  to  the 
attractions  of  adversity  and  first  love. 

Hortense  never  saw  Paulo  again.  Even  if  they  had  met 
in  after  life,  there  can  be  no  question  but  that  her  ripened 
judgment  and  correct  good  sense  would  have  confirmed  the 
decision  of  the  consul.  We  may,  however,  be  allowed  to 
fancy  that  the  remembrance  of  her  lover,  such  as  he  first  ap- 
peared to  her  imagination,  sometimes  recurred  to  her  memory  ; 
and  that  this  phantom  of  childish  romance  perhaps  disturbed 
the  pomps  of  royalty,  and  increased  the  melancholy  monotony 
of  grandeur. 

State  policy  had  broken  off  one  marriage  —  State  policy 
now  arranged  another.  In  uniting  their  own  fortunes,  Napo- 
leon and  Josephine  seemed  to  have  tacitly  agreed  to  work  in 
concert  for  the  advancement  of  their  families.  One  of  the 
most  certain  and  expeditious  modes  of  forwarding  this  design, 
was  to  promote  as  many  mutual  alliances  as  could  possibly  be 
effected.  The  consul  looked  upon  Louis  Bonaparte,  whom 
he  had  brought  up,  rather  in  the  light  of  a  son  than  a  bro- 
ther :  on  her  side,  Josephine  was  particularly  anxious  to 
unite  him  to  her  daughter,  and  they  were  accordingly  married 
in  the  month  of  January,  1802. 

Louis  Bonaparte,  Napoleon's  third  brother,  born  at  Ajaccio 


OF     NAPOLEON    III.  317 

the  2d  of  September,  1718,  entered  the  army  at  an  early  age, 
and  served  in  the  famous  campaigns  of  Italy  and  Egypt. 
Several  of  his  letters  from  the  latter  country  were  intercepted 
and  published  by  the  English.  They  are  everywhere  filled 
with  the  sound  philosophy  and  love  of  mankind  which  may 
be  called  the  basis  of  his  character.  The  indignant  distress 
excited  in  his  heart  by  the  cruelties  and  calamities  of  warfare, 
are  especially  remarkable.  He  quitted  Egypt  on  the  14th 
of  March,  IT 99,  and  returned  to  France,  bearing  despatches 
from  his  brother  to  the  directory. 

After  Brumaire,  when  Napoleon  had  become  first  consul, 
Louis  was  appointed  on  a  diplomatic  mission  to  St.  Peters- 
burg :  but  the  violent  death  of  the  Emperor  Paul  induced 
him  to  stop  at  Berlin,  where  he  remained  nearly  a  year.  On 
his  return  to  Paris,  he  received  the  command  of  the  9th  regi- 
ment of  dragoons,  and  was  shortly  afterwards  appointed 
general  of  brigade.  It  was  at  this  period  that  his  union  with 
Hortense  took  place. 

Had  the  choice  of  these  parties  been  unfettered,  each  pos- 
sessed qualities  which  might  have  produced  a  mutual  attach- 
ment :  but  the  desire  of  happiness  was  exchanged  for  a 
submission  to  necessity,  and  objects  present  a  very  different 
appearance  when  regarded  from  opposite  points  of  view.  The 
character  of  Louis  was  the  reverse  of  that  of  Hortense.  A 
great  moralist  has  remarked  that  this  was  the  best  reason  for 
expecting  future  sympathy  ;  but  it  frequently  happens  that 
the  same  wheels,  which  by  properly  meeting  would  accomplish 
all  the  objects  of  the  mechanic,  clash  and  crush  each  other  by 
an  untimely  revolution. 

The  newly-married  couple  treated  their  union  as  the  work 
of  compulsion,  and  their  little  asperities  instead  of  being 
smoothed  by  gentle  friction,  were  in  constant  collision.  Louis 
had  some  romance  in  his  disposition,  but  it  was  that  kind  of 
romance  which  leads  its  possessor  rather  to  write  a  book  than 
to  enact  the  hero.  The  Contrat  Social  of  Rousseau  was  the 
favorite  study  of  one,  whose  duty  it  became  to  assist  in  the 
27* 


318  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

overthrow  of  his  country's  liberties,  and  who  was  doomed  one 
day  to  be  a  king.  Louis  was  enthusiastically  devoted  to 
visions  of  universal  peace,  and  yet  fate  had  condemned  him 
to  be  a  soldier.  He  hated  ceremony,  and  yet  his  life  was 
spent  in  a  court,  and  his  motions  were  a  perpetual  pageant. 
Preferring  retirement  and  speculative  reflection,  he  was 
hurried  along  by  the  whirlwind  of  his  brother's  genius. 

Cottages  and  shepherdesses  we  .may  fancy  as  the  subjects 
of  the  love  dreams  of  Louis.  It  was  impossible  to  imagine 
more  sweetness,  benevolence,  and  simplicity  of  taste,  than 
were  to  be  found  united  in  the  character  of  Hortense  ;  but 
she  added  the  qualities  befitting  a  queen,  and  her  superior 
mind  was  prepared  for  every  change  of  fortune.  She  pos- 
sessed a  quick  and  decided  temper,  a  strong  intellect,  and  a 
considerable  share  of  ambition  :  but  her  chief  desire  was  that 
which  forms  the  most  ardent  wish  of  every  wife,  and  especially 
of  every  queen  —  that  the  renown  of  her  husband  should 
elevate  and  gratify  her  pride.  Louis'  military  career  had  not 
been  without  distinction  :  his  literary  productions  were  ad- 
mired throughout  Europe,  for  their  humane  and  correct 
principles :  his  family  name  had  become  the  proudest  in 
history  —  but  he  was  the  brother  of  Napoleon,  and  every 
minor  light  was  dimmed  by  the  sun  of  his  glory. 

Both  were  therefore  far  from  looking  forward  to  marriage, 
with  that  expectation  of  happiness  which  many  feel  so  sensi- 
bly at  the  moment  of  union.  Their  gloom  was  the  more 
observed,  because  the  domestic  incidents  in  the  first  consul's 
family,  had  already  assumed  the  importance  of  political 
events.  The  ambassadors  of  the  various  powers  were  all 
present  at  a  grand  ball  given  by  Madame  de  Montesson  in 
honor  of  these  nuptials  :  and  thus  a  Bourbon's  widow  acted 
as  mistress  of  ceremonies  to  the  chief  of  the  republic.  Napo- 
leon, accustomed  to  domineer  over  fortune,  and  seemingly 
careless  of  petty  incongruities,  perhaps  sometimes  felt  a  secret 
satisfaction  in  producing  the  singularity  of  such  contrasts. 

The  new  husband  was  at  least  resolved  to  assert  his  inde- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  319 

pendence  as  far  as  it  lay  in  his  power.  The  first  consul 
offered  to  adopt  the  eldest  son,  which  at  that  period  was 
equivalent  to  the  gift  of  a  monarchy.  Louis  could  not  oppose 
the  advancement  of  his  child,  but  he  ventured  to  refuse  his 
consent  to  the  formality  of  an  adoption.  When  Napoleon 
became  emperor,  all  his  brothers  were  named  as  possible  suc- 
cessors to  the  imperial  crown.  In  the  mean  time  the  most 
splendid  dignities  of  the  empire  were  conferred  on  Louis ;  he 
appeared  at  the  coronation  as  constable  of  France  —  he  was 
recognized  as  a  prince  of  the  blood  —  appointed  colonel  — 
general  of  carbineers — governor  of  Piedmont,  and  governor 
of  Paris.  His  second  son  was  christened  by  the  pope,  who 
had  come  to  Paris  to  anoint  the  emperor  with  the  holy  oil. 

It  was  at  this  brilliant  period  of  Hortense's  life,  that  the 
fine  collection  of  romances  appeared,  which  has  ranked  her 
among  the  most  tasteful  of  our  musical  composers.  The 
saloons  of  Paris  —  the  solitude  of  exile1  —  the  most  remote 
countries — have  all  acknowledged  the  charm  of  these  delight- 
ful melodies,  which  need  no  royal  name  to  enhance  their 
reputation.  It  is  gratifying  to  our  pride  of  country,  to  hear 
these  airs  of  France  sung  by  the  Greek  and  the  Russian,  and 
united  to  national  poetry  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames  and  the 
Tagus.  The  homage  thus  rendered  is  the  more  flattering, 
because  the  rank  of  the  composer  is  usually  unknown.  It  is 
their  intrinsic  merit  which  gives  to  these  natural  effusions  of 
female  sensibility  the  power  of  universal  success.  If  Hortense 
ever  experienced  matrimonial  felicity,  it  must  have  been  at 
this  time.  The  union  blessed  with  children  seems  sanctioned 
by  Providence.  Hortense  had  already  two  sons,  and  thus 
maternal  tenderness,  conjugal  anxiety,   and  the  pride  of  a 


1  When  Madame  de  Stael  and  her  beautiful  friend  Madame  Recamier, 
were  exiled  to  the  old  castle  of  Chaumont-sur-Loir,  formerly  the  resi- 
dence of  Diana  of  Poictiers,  one  of  their  favorite  song.s  was  that  fine 
air  composed  by  the  queen  of  Holland,  which  has  for  its  burthen  her 
husband's  motto — "  Fais  ce  que  dois  —  advicnne  que  pourra."  —  (Do 
well,  come  what  may).  —  Ten  Years  of  Exile,  by  Madame  de  Stael,  p.  112 


320  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

princess,  were  all  gratified  in  their  fullest  extent  Everything 
around  her  appeared  to  reflect  glory,  renown,  and  happiness. 
Josephine  was  seated  on  the  first  throne  in  the  world  :  Eugene 
reigned  as  a  viceroy  at  Milan  ;  while  the  head  of  this  exalted 
family,  a  king  of  kings,  could  bestow  on  his  brothers  the 
monarchies  raised  by  his  military  genius,  and  consolidated  by 
his  political  talents.  The  brows  of  Hortense  seemed  destined 
for  a  diadem  :  Napoleon  willed  it,  and  Louis  became  king  of 
Holland. 

In  the  year  1805,  Schimmelpeninck  had  been  invested  with 
the  whole  executive  power  of  the  Batavian  republic,  under 
the  title  of  grand  pensionary.  He  was  properly  impressed 
with  the  magnitude  of  the  favor  received,  and  promised  to 
prove  his  gratitude.  Unfortunately  his  views  of  policy  were 
soon  found  to  be  in  direct  opposition  to  those  of  Napoleon. 
The  grand  pensionary  encouraged  the  trade  with  England, 
and  the  commercial  speculations  of  the  Dutch  were  enormously 
profitable,  from  the  almost  entire  prohibition  of  English  manu- 
factures throughout  Europe.  This  connection  with  the  sworn 
enemy  of  France,  and  Schimmelpeninck's  subsequent  loss  of 
sight,  furnished  sufficient  excuses  for  the  emperor's  intended 
change  iu  the  government  of  Holland,  and  the  Batavian 
republic  was  erected  into  a  monarchy.  In  May,  1806,  a 
deputation  consisting  of  Yice-Admiral  Verhuel,  Bracdzen, 
ambassador  at  Paris,  Yan  Styreau,  minister  of  their  high 
mightinesses,  Gogel,  minister  of  finance,  and  W.  Six,  coun- 
cillor of  State,  offered  the  crown  to  Louis  in  behalf  of  the 
republic ;  and  on  the  5th  of  June  the  emperor,  at  St.  Cloud, 
proclaimed  him  king  of  Holland,  continuing  at  the  same 
time  his  former  office  of  constable  of  France. 

The  first  offer  of  the  throne  was  met  by  an  absolute  refusal 
on  the  part  of  Louis ;  who  declared  the  climate  of  Holland 
entirely  unsuited  to  his  weak  state  of  health.  This  reply  was 
by  no  meaus  conclusive  :  there  were  other  kingdoms,  less  cold 
and  less  humid,  at  the  disposal  of  Napoleon,  and  iu  his  eyes, 
the  resolution  of  his  brother  appeared  too  extraordinary  to 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  321 

be  immovable.  It  would  have  proved  so,  however,  had  not 
the  will  of  the  emperor  been  the  law.  Lonis  would  have 
preferred  a  life  of  seclusion  :  "  It  is  better  to  die  a  king," 
was  the  laconic  answer  of  Napoleon.  The  danger  was  by  no 
means  so  imminent  as  Louis  would  have  wished  it  to  appear  : 
the  constitution  of  the  new  monarch  was,  however,  extremely 
delicate,  and  bodily  weakness  increased  the  natural  gloom  of 
his  sombre  and  melancholy  temperament.  If  the  refusal  was 
dictated  by  pure  philosophy,  we  cannot  but  admire  it,  even 
if  our  own  feelings  disable  us  from  imitation.  In  the  peculiar 
circumstances  under  which  Louis  and  Hortense  were  placed, 
they  were  partners  in  fortune  as  well  as  in  happiness.  Napo- 
leon was  as  anxious  to  bestow  a  crown  upon  his  adopted 
daughter,  as  a  sceptre  on  his  brother.  If  Louis  adhered  to 
his  resolution,  it  was,  on  the  part  of  Hortense,  a  sort  of  ab- 
dication, unless  the  Salic  law,  so  venerated  in  France,  were 
abolished  in  Holland.  The  chance  of  becoming  a  king, 
might  therefore  be  considered  as  a  part  of  their  marriage 
contract.  The  force  of  this  reasoning  was  at  length  under- 
stood by  Louis,  and  he  abandoned  this  unjust  opposition. 

In  the  midst  of  the  enjoyment  of  new  dignity,  and  of 
benevolent  plans  for  the  future  welfare  of  her  subjects,  the 
happiness  of  Hortense  was  clouded  by  the  necessary  separa- 
tion from  her  mother  and  her  home.  It  was  the  first  severance 
for  any  length  of  time,  which  had  occurred  during  her  whole 
life.  The  prospect  of  departure  from  the  scenes  of  infancy 
now  revived  all  her  childish  feelings  and  attachments,  and 
the  pain  thus  created  divided  her  heart  with  the  anticipation 
of  future  grandeur.  She  wished  at  least,  to  bid  adieu  to 
France  in  a  manner  worthy  of  a  kind  and  compassionate 
princess.  She  learned  that  Madame  de  Gevres,1  a  noble  lady 
of  the  court  of  Louis  XVI.,  ruined  by  the  revolution,  had 
fruitlessly  endeavored  to  obtain  permission  to  revisit  the  place 

1  The  last  descendant  of  the  celebrated  De  Gucsclin.     She  died  in 
1831,  at  an  advanced  age. 


322  PUBLIC    AND    PR     VATE    HISTORY 

of  her  birth.  Hortense  could  now  feelingly  appreciate  this 
patriotic  attachment :  she  solicited  and  obtained  from  the 
emperor,  the  recall  of  Madame  de  Gevres,  and  her  farewell 
to  her  country  was  thus  commemorated  by  another  deed  of 
heavenly  charity. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  1806,  Louis  and  his  queen  arrived  in 
their  new  dominions.  They  took  up  their  residence  at  the 
Maison  des  Bois,  a  country-seat  about  a  league  from  the 
Hague,  where  they  received  the  various  congratulatory  depu- 
tations. Their  public  entry  into  the  capital  was  delayed  until 
five  days  later.  Louis  was  well  known  in  Holland,  which  he 
had  visited  on  former  occasions,  and  the  curiosity  of  the 
Dutch  was  therefore  chiefly  directed  towards  the  queen,  whom 
they  now  saw  for  the  first  time.  At  the  Hague,  as  in  all 
other  countries,  love  is  the  promptest  and  most  universal 
cause  of  popular  enthusiasm.  Louis  was  highly  esteemed 
and  venerated,  but  fear  always  predominates  in  the  respect 
inspired  by  a  king  :  whilst  a  young  and  lovely  queen  fascinates 
all  eyes  and  wins  every  heart.  The  Hollanders,  who  received 
Hortense  with  joyous  acclamations,  might  easily  have  believed 
that  the  fair  being  before  them  had  been  created  by  heaven 
expressly  for  their  sovereign. 

In  her  appearance,  Hortense  united  the  fine  figure,  the  noble 
mien  and  the  graceful  manners  of  her  mother,  to  the  peculiar 
charms  of  the  beauties  of  the  Netherlands,  their  soft  blue 
eyes,  profusion  of  fair  hair,  and  dazzling  complexion.  Her 
conversation  displayed  the  elegance  of  a  French  woman,  in 
the  vivacity,  sprightliuess,  and  appropriate  turn  of  her  least 
expressions.  During  her  residence  at  the  Hague,  that  sober 
capital  presented  an  appearance  as  gay  as  it  was  unexpected, 
in  a  constant  succession  of  public  balls  and  entertainments, 
at  which  the  most  distinguished  youth  contended  for  superi- 
ority in  dress  and  accomplishments.  The  dancing  of  the 
queen  was  perfection,  and  she  promoted  this  delightful  amuse- 
ment, with  that  true  condescension  which  produces  in  every 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  323 

mind  the  forgiveness,  but  never  the  forgetfulness  of  superior 
rank. 

As  soon  as  the  king  had  assumed  the  reins  of  government, 
he  began  to  use  every  exertion  in  his  power  to  merit  the 
affection  which  his  subjects  already  professed  from  confidence 
in  his  virtues.  To  promote  sedulously  all  the  various  interests 
of  the  country,  seemed  to  him  a  certain  means  of  succeeding 
in  his  endeavor.  "I  desire,"  said  he,  in  reply  to  a  deputa- 
tion, "to  be  saluted  by  the  title  of  national  majesty.''1  He 
declined  the  services  of  a  body  of  French  troops,  which  had 
been  sent  to  accompany  him  to  his  capital ;  it  was  his  wish 
that  the  escort  of  his  entry  should  consist  of  Hollanders 
alone.  This  delicate  proceeding  made  a  very  favorable  im- 
pression, and  its  success  induced  the  adoption  of  further 
measures  of  a  similar  character.  As  all  the  officers  of  the 
household  were  Frenchmen  appointed  at  Paris,  it  was  natural 
for  the  aristocracy  of  Holland  to  view  this  exclusive  prefer- 
ence with  deep  mortification  :  they  justly  concluded  that  the 
duties  of  welcome,  and  attendance  on  the  foreign  prince  given 
to  them  as  a  monarch,  belonged  of  right  to  the  natives  of  the 
soil.  Louis  entertained  the  same  sentiments,  and  gradually 
removed  the  French,  under  various  pretexts,  from  all  the 
posts  of  importance,  which  were  speedily  filled  by  Hollanders. 

Among  other  dismissions  was  that  of  the  grand  marshal 
of  the  palace,  M.  de  Broc,  whom  queen  Hortense  had  united 
to  her  friend  Adele  Auguie,  the  sister-in-law  of  Marshal  Ney. 
Louis  despatched  him  on  a  message  of  congratulation  to 
Madrid,  on  the  accession  of  King  Joseph,  and  as  he  was 
never  recalled,  he  returned  to  the  French  service.  His  wife 
remained  with  Hortense,  for  the  queen  could  never  part  from 
the  faithful  depository  of  all  her  griefs  ;  while  she  repaid  the 
confidence  with  that  sympathy  so  essential  to  their  endurance. 
Braving  everything,  even  the  open  indignation  of  the  king, 
Madame  de  Broc  supported  her  friend,  and  repelled  the  ma- 
lignant suspicions  and  insidious  calumnies  which  assailed  the 


324  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

reputation  of  her  sovereign  and  benefactress.    Ah  !  why  should 
the  ties  of  such  an  attachment  ever  be  destroyed  ? 

A  just  appreciation  of  his  political  position,  and  of  the 
decision  and  perseverance  displayed  in  making  every  necessary 
sacrifice,  shows  that  Louis  was  too  diffident  of  his  abilities, 
when  he  declined  a  throne  ;  indeed  we  doubt  whether  any  of 
his  brothers  could  have  filled  it  more  worthily.  In  receiving 
the  investiture  of  Holland,  there  were  but  two  lines  of  policy 
to  be  adopted.  As  a  mere  imperial  prefect,  the  new  king  was 
to  sacrifice  independence  by  subjecting  everything  to  France, 
and  to  annihilate  the  prosperity  of  a  people  wholly  dependent 
on  maritime  commerce,  by  forcing  upon  them  the  continental 
system  ;  or  on  mounting  the  throne  he  was  to  assume  at  once 
the  duties  and  dignities  of  a  sovereign,  and  as  such,  to  act 
exclusively  for  the  welfare  of  his  kingdom.  The  former 
alternative  would  undoubtedly  have  excited  insurrection,  and 
to  make  war  on  his  subjects  is,  for  a  monarch,  but  an  indifferent 
style  of  reigning.  The  latter  plan  was  far  more  honorable  ; 
instead  of  being  the  mere  instrument  of  another's  caprice,  it 
was  to  reject  all  subserviency,  and  to  be  really  a  king.  It  is 
true  that  in  either  case,  the  final  consummation  would  inevi- 
tably be  the  occupation  of  Holland  by  the  imperial  armies ; 
but  there  is  no  room  for  self-reproach  when  we  have  followed 
the  conclusions  of  reason  and  the  dictates  of  conscience. 
Louis  had  taken  for  his  motto,  "Do  well,  come  what 
mat.  ' ' 

Unhappily  the  king,  though  the  one  most  interested  in 
deciding  correctly,  was  the  only  person  who  saw  things  in 
this  light.  The  highest  offices,  it  is  true,  were  filled  up  by 
natives  of  Holland,  yet  many  inferior  employments  were  still 
in  the  hands  of  the  French.  In  proportion  to  the  coldness 
and  distance  exhibited  by  Louis  towards  his  countrymen,  the 
queen  believed  herself  obliged  to  increase  the  consolation  of 
encouragement  and  courtesy.  The  favor  she  showed  was  the 
more  sincere,  because  she  really  disapproved  of  the  policy 
which   rendered   their  situation   so   delicate.     Placed,  in  a 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  325 

manner,  between  her  husband  and  her  adopted  father,  she  may 
be  pardoned  for  believing  in  the  infallibility  of  one  whose 
iron  will  had  well  ministered,  in  every  conjuncture,  to  the 
advancement  of  his  glory.  It  is  true  that  in  espousing  the 
interests  of  the  French,  she  lost  nothing  of  the  attachment 
of  her  subjects,  but  the  difference  in  the  behaviour  of  the 
royal  pair  involved  the  court  in  perpetual  contests.  The 
rivalry  apparent  in  the  smallest  details  of  the  palace  betrayed 
this  misunderstanding,  the  results  of  which  must  necessarily, 
be  so  disastrous  to  the  general  weal. 

The  situation  of  Rotterdam  is  delightful ;  its  appearance  is 
handsome  and  its  streets  particularly  clean.  There  is  a  superb 
road  leading  to  the  Hague,  pleasantly  laid  out  along  the 
canal,  and  shaded  by  fine  trees.  It  runs  through  vast 
meadows,  covered  with  cattle,  and  displaying  a  verdure  of 
the  most  splendid  green.  The  view,  which  would  be  other- 
wise monotonous,  is  diversified  by  a  multitude  of  small  coun- 
try-seats, not  built  perhaps  with  the  most  correct  taste,  but 
pleasing  from  their  remarkable  neatness,  and  the  beautiful 
gardens  of  the  rarest  plants,  by  which  they  are  surrounded 
and  adorned. 

Holland  displays  a  peculiar  character ;  it  is  like  nothing 
but  itself — a  conquest  from  the  sea,  preserved  by  the  constant 
repair  of  its  dykes.  Its  inhabitants  are  well  provided  with 
the  means  of  subsistence  and  comfort,  and  are  extremely  con- 
scientious in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  connected  with  the 
government.  They  are  brave  soldiers  :  Bonaparte  has  openly 
pronounced  this  opinion,  and  they  enjoyed  the  same  character 
in  the  days  of  Tacitus.  Their  probity  is  extraordinary  : 
nearly  all  their  contracts  are  verbal,  yet  they  are  as  scrupulous 
in  the  obligations  of  commerce,  as  in  the  engagements  of  love 
or  the  promises  of  marriage. 

An  outline  of  the  court  of  Holland  may  not  be  inappro- 
priate.    M.  D'Aijuson  held  the  post  of  grand  chamberlain: 
Auguste  Caulaincourt  that  of  grand  equerry.     M.  De  Ville- 
28 


326  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

neuve  was  first  chamberlain  to  the  queen :  his  wife,  the 
daughter  of  M.  Guibert  —  a  lady  celebrated  for  her  wit  and 
her  fine  person  —  was  dame  du  palais.  M.  de  Saugras, 
chief  master  of  the  ceremonies,  did  the  honors  of  the  palace 
in  an  extremely  agreeable  manner. 

M.  de  Girardin  tells  us  that  a  chamberlain  introduced  him 
into  the  cabinet  of  the  king,  who  was  dressed  in  the  uniform 
of  the  guard,  white,  with  crimson  facings.  "The  pleasure 
of  seeing  him  after  a  long  absence,  was  diminished  by  my 
sorrow  at  observing  his  sallow  complexion,  and  aspect  of 
general  languor,  and  the  extreme  difficulty  he  experienced  in 
walking,  and  especially  in  standing.  He  looked  so  much  like 
a  man  on  whom  death  had  set  his  seal,  that  I  found  it  impos- 
sible to  restrain  the  feelings  of  sadness  with  which  his  appear- 
ance oppressed  me.  My  emotion  became  so  strong  that  it 
was  noticed  by  his  majesty,  and  drew  from  him  several 
remarks,  though  I  sincerely  hope  that  he  was  unable  to  divine 
the  cause.  It  is  impossible  to  know  the  king  and  not  to  love 
him  :  he  is  gifted  with  all  the  inestimable  qualities  that  belong 
to  an  upright  man.  I  was  the  bearer  of  two  letters  :  one 
from  the  king  of  Naples,  and  the  other  from  his  mother.  He 
conversed  with  us  a  long  time,  and  expressed  great  pleasure 
at  seeing  us  again.  I  mentioned  that  a  passage  in  his  letter 
to  the  queen  of  Naples,  had  given  rise  to  my  journey.  '  Be 
assured, '  was  his  reply,  '  that  I  shall  use  every  exertion  in  my 
power  to  be  useful  to  Joseph  :  whatever  belongs  to  me  is  at 
his  disposal.  I  am  already  endeavoring  to  raise  money, 
though  it  will  be  a  difficult  business ;  for  this  country  would 
never  lend,  even  to  Napoleon.  However,  I  do  not  despair, 
and  shall  do  my  best. '  All  this  was  said  in  that  open,  frank 
manner,  which  no  dissimulation,  however  practised,  can  pre- 
tend to  imitate.  '  Your  majesty,'  said  I,  'has  just  opened  a 
loan,  which,  I  understand,  is  filling  up  rapidly.  It  is  a 
splendid  reward  of  your  exertions,  and  the  most  flattering 
testimony  of  the  popularity  of  your  administration.    Posterity 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  32 1 

will  ever  remember  with  gratitude,  your  constant  opposition 
to  a  national  bankruptcy. '  '  I  take  the  more  credit  to  my- 
self,' said  the  king,  'for  this  opposition,  because  the  measure 
was  particularly  pressed  upon  me  by  the  emperor.  I  found 
it  impossible  to  persuade  him,  that  in  declaring  bankruptcy, 
I  declared  the  destruction  of  Holland.  a.I\  its  capital  would 
have  immediately  sought  refuge  in  England,  where  much  of  i* 
is  collected  already.  The  force  of  circumstances  has  set  on 
foot  a  contraband  trade,  which  I  find  it  impracticable  to  sup- 
press. This  nation  is  so  industrious,  that  with  a  population 
of  not  more  than  eighteen  hundred  thousand  souls,  it  pays 
one  hundred  and.  ten  millions.  Its  debt  is  sixty  millions,  and 
there  is  scarcely  enough  remaining  for  State  expenses.  There 
is  not  a  French  soldier  in  the  kingdom,  yet  I  am  obliged  to 
supply  a  corps  of  twenty  thousand  Dutch  troops  for  the  grand 
army.  Peace  !  peace  !  that  must  be  the  grand  object  of  con- 
quest. This  hard  work  ruins  my  health,  Girardin  ;  you  must 
find  me  very  much  changed.  I  can  scarcely  write  :  I  walk 
with  great  difficulty.'  —  He  was  continually  rubbing  his  legs 
and  hands  during  the  whole  interview. — 'The  climate  of  this 
country  is  killing  me.  Its  humidity  is  very  unwholesome  for 
my  constitution.  I  am  sorry  for  it :  it  is  the  country  of  good 
faith.  There  is  no  need  here  of  superintending  the  adminis- 
tration :  a  man,  on  receiving  an  appointment,  swears  that  he 
will  fulfil  its  duties  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  and  keeps  his 
word.  Their  custom-house  oaths  are  never  examined,  and 
are  never  false.  It  is  a  nation  of  true  republicans,  but  deeply 
tinged  with  party  spirit :  this  prevents  them  from  forming  a 
proper  estimate  of  each  other.  I  require  a  hot  climate,  and 
the  baths  of  the  south  of  France.' 

"  On  taking  leave  of  his  majesty,  we  were  informed  by  M. 
Boucheberne,  prefect  of  the  palace,  that  the  king  desired  us 
to  lodge  in  no  other  house  than  his  own,  and  that  we  were  to 
reside  in  the  palace  :  this  intelligence  was  afterwards  con- 
firmed by  M.  de  Saugras.  Just  as  we  were  about  sitting 
down  to  table,  we  were  invited  to  dine  with  the  queen.     The 


328  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

company  consisted  of  an  aid-de-carup  of  Jerome,  Madame  de 
Bouber,  and  the  little  Prince  Louis. 

"  The  queen  was  as  agreeable  and  amiable  as  ever.  I  de- 
livered her  the  letters  from  the  empress  and  the  queen.  'I 
always  like  to  receive  letters,'  said  she,  'and  to  be  remem- 
bered. My  friends  would  be  ungrateful  if  they  forgot  me, 
for  I  never  forget  any  one.  My  brother  Joseph  ought  cer- 
tainly to  be  pleased  with  me ;  for,  while  I  was  at  Mayence, 
I  wrote  to  him  frequently,  and  sent  him  a  great  quantity  of 
trifling  news,  which  absence  alone  renders  of  the  least  conse- 
quence.' 

"After  dinner,  we  went  into  the  queen's  drawing-room. 
Her  apartments  are  furnished  with  great  simplicity.  Nothing 
could  be  more  gracious  than  our  reception,  and  on  leaving 
her,  she  invited  us  to  prolong  our  visit  to  this  country,  and 
to  pay  our  respects  to  her  every  evening.  Before  going  to 
bed,  we  made  a  round  of  visits  to  all  the  ministers,  and 
returned  to  our  hotel  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  heartily  tired. 
AH  the  French  about  the  king's  person  are  loud  in  their  com- 
plaints of  the  climate  :  Caulaincourt,  whose  health  is  indif- 
ferent, is  quite  unable  to  stand  its  effects. 

"  Next  day,  the  king  received  us  in  his  cabinet.  He  was 
in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  the  great  civil  and  military  officers. 
He  quitted  his  place  for  the  purpose  of  addressing  a  few 
words  in  an  obliging  manner  to  the  different  members  of  the 
diplomatic  corps,  and  the  various  individuals  who  had  the 
nonor  of  being  admitted  to  the  audience. 

"  The  court  presents  an  extremely  brilliant  spectacle.  The 
dresses  of  the  public  ministers  and  the  civil  functionaries  are 
superbly  embroidered  :  it  seems  as  if  they  intended  to  make 
up  for  the  long  prohibition  of  embroidery  in  this  country. 
The  great  officers  of  State  wear  a  green  dress,  laced  with 
gold  :  the  pattern  of  the  trimming  is  the  same  as  that  of  the 
imperial  household.  The  chamberlains  are  dressed  in  red 
and  gold  :  the  equerries  and  prefect  in  blue  and  gold.  The 
diplomatic   costume    of    Holland   is   remarkably   rich   and 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  329 

elegant :  it  is  a  shade  of  very  light  blue,  with  silver  lace. 
The  decoration  of  the  Order  of  Holland  has  been  very  ex- 
tensively distributed  :  there  are  three  classes  —  knights,  com- 
manders, and  grand  crosses.  This  sort  of  distinction  has 
become  quite  an  object  of  ambition,  in  a  country  where  it  was 
previously  wholly  unknown.  Wherever  men  are  united  in 
society,  vanity,  adroitly  flattered,  is  one  of  the  most  potent 
instruments  of  the  sway  of  the  ruler. 

"  The  king  generally  rides  with  a  single  pair  of  horses  to 
his  carriage  :  it  is  only  on  very  rare  occasions  that  he  uses  a 
coach  and  six.  Whenever  he  goes  out,  the  equerry  on  duty 
mounts  his  horse,  and  takes  his  place  near  the  door." 

Calamity  reunited  Louis  and  Hortense,  and  restored  for  a 
time  domestic  concord,  by  overwhelming  them  with  misfortune. 
In  the  beginning  of  May,  1807,  their  eldest  son,  the  young 
Prince  Napoleon,  was  suddenly  carried  off  by  the  croup  ;  a 
disease  of  which  even  the  name  was,  until  then,  unknown  in 
France. 

The  grief  of  Hortense,  which  was  vehement  in  proportion 
to  the  strength  of  mind  it  had  overcome,  excited  serious 
apprehensions  for  her  life.  It  brought  on  a  series  of  nervous 
attacks,  that  inspired  pity  in  all  who  approached  her.  The 
distress  of  Louis  was  not  less  poignant,  though  more  gloomy 
and  under  better  command.  Their  physicians  at  length 
recommended  the  baths  of  the  Pyrenees  ;  perhaps  quite  as 
much  to  remove  them  from  the  reminiscences  of  their  lost 
child,  as  for  any  medical  properties  likely  tc  be  useful  in  the 
restoration  of  their  health. 

It  is  one  of  the  burthens  of  royalty,  that  a  monarch  can 
neither  enjoy  nor  suffer  like  a  private  individual :  every  mo- 
ment withdrawn  from  duty,  to  be  devoted  to  pleasure  or 
sorrow,  is  marked  by  a  public  loss.  The  Dutch  sympathized 
too  deeply  in  the  affliction  of  their  sovereigns  to  murmur  at 
their  seeking  consolation  in  the  variety  of  travel :  but,  unfor- 
tunately, though  Louis  had  rendered  them  happy  by  the 
equitable  policy  of  his  personal  government,  vet  he  could  not 
28* 


330  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

prevent  the  just  grounds  of  complaint  that  arose  from  th« 
measures  of  Napoleon,  who  administered  the  affairs  of  hi* 
kingdom  during  his  journey. 

The  emperor  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  intro- 
duce into  Holland  the  measures  of  policy  adopted  in  his  own 
territories.  The  chief  resources  of  Great  Britain  were 
derived  from  her  commerce  with  the  continent,  which  was  the 
outlet  for  the  immense  products  of  her  factories.  Collecting 
by  her  ships  the  raw  material  of  every  country,  she  afterwards 
laid  all  Europe  under  contribution  by  returning  them  in  a 
manufactured  shape.  By  closing  this  outlet  the  sources  of  her 
prosperity  were  dried  up,  and  her  most  vital  interests  endan- 
gered. Such  was  the  Continental  System.  The  opposition 
in  Holland  to  its  introduction  sunk  under  the  absolute  will 
of  Napoleon,  and  the  ministers  of  Louis  obeyed  with  reluc- 
tance and  sorrow. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  sea-ports,  deprived  of  the  resources 
of  lawful  commerce,  attempted  to  substitute  an  illicit  traffic. 
The  emperor  became  irritated,  and  would  have  made  terrible 
examples  of  the  guilty,  but  for  the  return  of  Louis,  who  ex- 
ercised the  richest  prerogative  of  royalty,  by  pardoning  the 
criminals  This  clemency,  with  his  courageous  humanity  at 
the  time  of  the  disaster  at  Leyden  and  during  several  inunda- 
tions, endeared  him  still  more  to  his  subjects.  The  contraband 
trade,  however,  was  greatly  augmented  by  the  impunity  of 
the  first  offenders ;  and  Napoleon,  deeply  incensed  by  the 
opposition  to  his  authority,  began  to  entertain  unfriendly 
feelings  towards  his  brother,  and  to  project  seriously  the 
union  of  Holland  and  France. 

On  her  return  from  the  Pyrenees,  Hortense  was  prevented 
from  proceeding  to  the  Hague  by  her  peculiarly  delicate  state 
of  health.  She  suffered  from  general  weaknes,  and  had  but 
partially  recovered  from  the  nervous  attack,  brought  on  by 
the  recent  shock.  Her  domestic  happiness  had  been  also 
much  disturbed  by  the  political  disputes  of  her  husband  and 
the  emperor.     Calamities  from  without   strike   equally  the 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  331 

prince  and  the  peasant  in  their  domestic  recoil.  The  gloomy 
temper  of  Louis,  exasperated  by  the  importunate  demands  of 
his  brother,  no  longer  permitted  him  to  be  kind  to  a  wife, 
who  espoused  or  excused  every  measure  dictated  by  the  policy 
of  France. 

Napoleon's  grounds  of  complaint  are  contained  in  a  letter 
addressed  to  the  king  of  Holland,  in  1808,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  pardon  of  the  smugglers.  This  historical  document 
is  too  important  to  be  here  omitted  ;  for  it  forms  a  valuable 
appendix  to  the  account  of  his  administration  given  to  the 
public  by  Louis,  and  has  a  direct  bearing  on  events  deeply 
and  fatally  influencing  the  destiny  of  Queen  Hortense. 

Chateau  de  Marac,  April  3d,  1808. 

Sir,  and  my  brother, — Within  the  last  hour  I  received 
your  despatch  of  the  22d  March,  from  the  Auditor  D — t,  and 
the  courier,  who  will  bear  you  my  reply,  sets  out  for  Holland 
immediately.  The  use  you  have  made  of  the  power  of  pardon 
must  inevitably  produce  bad  effects.  The  power  of  pardon 
is  one  of  the  finest  and  noblest  attributes  of  sovereignty  :  but 
to  save  it  from  contempt,  it  should  only  be  exercised  when 
the  mercy  of  the  sovereign  is  no  reproach  to  the  act  of  the 
judge  —  when  the  royal  clemency  can  inspire  none  but  gene- 
rous and  grateful  sentiments.  But  the  present  case  is  widely 
different.  A  troop  of  banditti  attack  and  murder  a  party  of 
custom-house  officers,  in  order  to  smuggle  with  more  im- 
punity : —  they  are  condemned  to  death,  and  your  majesty 
accords  them  a  pardon  —  a  pardon  to  outcasts  and  assassins 
whom  no  one  pitied  !  Had  these  men  been  merely  taken  in 
the  act  of  smuggling  —  had  they  even  murdered  your  officers 
in  self-defence — then  the  destitute  condition  of  their  families, 
and  the  particular  circumstances  of  the  deed,  might  have  been 
taken  into  consideration,  and  the  mitigation  of  the  rigor  of 
the  law  would  have  gained  for  your  government  an  appear- 
ance of  paternal  kindness.  In  remitting  the  penalty  of  crimes 
against  fiscal  laws,  and  especially  in  the  forgiveness  of  political 


832  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

offences,  mercy  is  well  bestowed.  The  great  principle  is, 
that  when  the  sovereign  himself  is  the  object  of  the  crime, 
then  clemency  becomes  admirable.  On  the  first  rumor  of  an 
accusation  of  this  nature,  public  opinion  is  arrayed  on  the 
side  of  the  culprit,  and  not  in  support  of  the  executive  which 
is  to  enforce  the  law.  Should  the  prince  remit  the  punish- 
ment, the  people  consider  him  superior  to  the  offence,  and 
their  indignation  is  then  excited  against  the  offender  :  should 
he  pursue  an  opposite  course,  he  is  reprobated  as  an  oppressor 
and  a  tyrant ;  but  if  he  pardon  atrocious  criminals,  he  is  con- 
temned for  his  weakness,  or  hated  for  his  evil  intentions.  Do 
not  imagine  that  mercy  is  a  prerogative  which  can  be  always 
wielded  without  injury,  or  that  society  applauds  its  constant 
employment.  On  the  contrary,  the  community  condemns  its 
exercise  on  signal  offenders,  because  it  then  becomes  destruc- 
tive of  social  order.  You  have  made  use  of  this  right  too 
frequently  and  too  indiscriminately  :  you  should  be  deaf  to 
your  heart's  benevolence,  when  it  incites  to  acts  detrimental 
to  your  subjects.  I  should  have  imitated  your  conduct  with 
regard  to  the  Jews,  but  I  would  never  have  pardoned  the 
Middleburg  smugglers.  In  the  latter  case,  there  were  many 
reasons  why  justice  should  have  been  allowed  to  take  its 
course,  and  by  the  terror  of  such  an  execution  to  attain  the 
excellent  effect  of  preventing  future  crimes.  Royal  officers 
had  been  massacred  in  the  middle  of  the  night ;  the  murderers 
were  condemned  ;  yet  your  majesty  commutes  the  punishment 
for  a  few  years'  imprisonment,  and  the  inevitable  result  will 
be  found  in  a  complete  discouragement  of  the  collectors  of 
the  revenue. 

Let  me  now  explain  the  political  tendency  of  this  measure. 
For  many  years  past,  Holland  has  been  the  channel  through 
which  England  has  introduced  its  manufactures  into  the  con- 
tinent, and  this  branch  of  trade  has  been  immensely  profit- 
able to  its  merchants.  For  this  reason  the  Dutch  are  attached 
to  smuggling  and  favor  England,  and  for  this  reason  they 
hate   France,  who    prohibits  smuggling,   and  wars  against 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  333 

England.  The  pardon  you  have  accorded  to  these  murdering 
revenue-breakers,  is  a  kind  of  deference  paid  to  the  love  of 
Holland  for  contraband  trade.  It  seems  as  if  you  made 
common  cause  with  them  ;  but  against  whom  ?  Against 
myself  I 

The  Hollanders  are  attached  to  you.  Your  manners  are 
plain  :  your  disposition  mild  :  your  government  suited  to  their 
views.  Were  you  to  show  yourself  firmly  resolved  to  put 
down  all  illicit  traffic  —  were  you  to  explain  to  your  subjects 
their  true  position  —  you  would  then  employ  your  influence 
with  discretion,  and  they  would  believe  the  continental  system 
a  benefit,  because  it  would  be  upheld  by  their  king.  I  cannot 
discover  what  advantage  your  majesty  proposes  to  yourself, 
from  popularity  obtained  at  my  expense.  The  days  of  Rys- 
wick  are  gone  by  in  Holland,  and  France  is  no  longer  in  the 
last  years  of  Louis  XIV.  If  Holland  be  unable  to  pursue 
an  independent  policy  ;  she  has  no  alternative  but  to  adhere 
to  the  conditions  of  her  alliance  with  France. 

The  policy  of  princes,  my  brother,  must  ever  regard  the 
future,  and  not  the  mere  exigencies  of  the  passing  day. 
What  is  the  present  condition  of  Europe  ?  On  the  one  hand 
is  England,  possessing  alone  a  preponderance  to  which  the 
whole  world  has  hitherto  been  obliged  to  submit ;  on  the  other 
are  the  French  empire  and  the  powers  of  the  continent;  who, 
with  the  force  of  union,  can  never  submit  to  this  species  of 
supremacy  exercised  by  Great  Britain.  All  these  nations 
formerly  possessed  colonies  and  foreign  commerce  ;  the  extent 
of  their  seaboard  is  much  greater  than  that  of  England  ;  but 
unfortunately  they  have  been  always  disunited.  Great  Britain 
has  attacked  their  navies  in  detail  —  she  has  triumphed  on 
every  sea — and  all  their  maritime  forces  are  destroyed.  With 
all  the  resources  for  shipping  and  seamen,  of  Russia,  Sweden, 
France,  and  Spain,  not  a  squadron  dare  venture  from  their 
roadsteads.  It  is  no  longer,  then,  from  a  league  of  the 
maritime  powers — a  confederacy  which  is  moreover  impracti- 
cable, from  distance  and  conflicting  interests  —  that  Europe 


334  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

must  expect  commercial  independence  and  established  peace  : 
they  can  only  be  declared  by  the  will  of  England  I 

Peace  !  I  desire  to  obtain  it  by  every  means  consistent 
with  the  dignity  of  France  :  for  peace,  I  will  sacrifice  all  but 
national  honor.  Every  day  I  am  more  and  more  convinced 
of  its  necessity,  and  the  other  powers  wish  for  it  as  much  as 
I  do.  I  entertain  towards  England,  neither  angry  prejudice 
nor  implacable  hatred.  Her  policy  towards  me  has  been  the 
policy  of  repulsion  ;  on  my  part,  I  have  retaliated  by  a  system 
of  exclusion  ;  not  so  much  from  the  ambitious  views  alleged 
by  my  enemies,  as  to  force  the  British  cabinet  to  terms.  I 
am  perfectly  content  that  England  should  be  rich  and  pros- 
perous, if  France  and  her  allies  are  as  rich  and  prosperous  as 
England.  Thus  the  continental  system  has  no  other  end  than 
to  accelerate  a  final  settlement  of  international  law,  as  well 
for  the  French  empire  as  for  Europe.  All  the  northern 
sovereigns  maintain  a  rigorous  prohibitive  policy,  yet  their 
commerce  has  increased  wonderfully  ;  the  fabrics  of  Prussia 
in  particular  already  begin  to  rival  our  own  manufactures. 
You  are  aware  that  France  itself,  and  all  the  extent  of  coast 
from  the  Gulf  of  Lyons  to  the  head  of  the  Adriatic,  now  an 
integral  part  of  the  empire,  are  absolutely  closed  against  the 
products  of  foreign  industry.  I  am  now  about  to  take  such 
a  share  in  the  affairs  of  Spain,  as  will  wrest  Portugal  from 
the  influence  of  Great  Britain,  and  place  the  Spanish  ports 
under  the  full  control  of  the  French  political  system.  Thus 
the  whole  seaboard  of  Europe  will  be  shut  against  the  Eng- 
lish, for  I  exclude  the  Turks,  who  have  no  commerce  with 
the  rest  of  the  continent. 

You  will  perceive  from  this  abstract,  the  fatal  consequences 
of  the  facilities  afforded  by  Holland  to  Great  Britain  for  in- 
troducing her  manufactures  into  Europe.  It  affords  her  an 
opportunity  of  raising  from  ourselves  the  subsidies  with  which 
other  nations  are  paid  to  attack  us.  Your  majesty  is  more 
interested  than  I  am,  in  guarding  against  the  trickery  of 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  335 

English  diplomacy.  A  few  years'  patience,  and  England  will 
desire  peace  as  earnestly  as  her  enemies. 

Again,  if  you  consider  the  position  of  your  States,  you 
will  discover  that  the  continental  system  is  less  beneficial  to 
me  than  to  yourself.  Holland  is  essentially  a  commercial  and 
maritime  power.  She  possesses  capacious  harbors,  fleets, 
seamen,  skilful  officers,  and  colonies  which  cost  the  mother 
country  nothing.  Her  inhabitants,  too,  have  as  much  ability 
in  commerce  as  the  English.  Has  not  Holland  all  this  to 
protect  ?  May  not  peace  restore  her  to  her  ancient  import- 
ance ?  Grant  that  her  situation  for  a  few  years  may  be 
painful :  is  it  not  better  than  that  the  monarch  of  Holland 
should  be  a  mere  English  governor,  and  his  kingdom  and 
colonies  the  appanages  of  Great  Britain  ?  Any  encourage- 
ment given  to  the  trade  with  England  must  tend  directly  to 
this  result.     Sicily  and  Portugal  are  before  your  eyes. 

Let  events  take  their  course.  If  you  are  obliged  to  sell 
your  gin,  England  is  obliged  to  buy  it.  Point  out  places 
where  it  can  be  obtained  by  the  British  smugglers  in  return 
for  hard  money,  but  never  for  merchandize:  never  —  you 
understand  me.  Peace  will  come  at  last,  and  then  a  treaty 
of  commerce  will  be  signed  with  England.  Yery  probably 
I  may  conclude  one  too,  but  our  mutual  interests  shall  be 
guaranteed.  If  we  should  be  obliged  to  allow  England  her 
maritime  supremacy,  purchased  at  the  expense  of  so  much 
blood  and  treasure ;  a  preponderance,  moreover,  to  which 
she  is  entitled  by  geographical  situation,  and  her  territorial 
acquisitions  in  three  quarters  of  the  globe  ;  at  least  our  vessels 
will  be  able  to  navigate  the  ocean  without  the  fear  of  insult 
to  their  flag,  and  our  foreign  commerce  will  cease  to  be  ruinous. 
The  main  object  now  is,  to  prevent  England  from  interfering 
in  the  politics  of  the  continent. 

This  business  of  the  pardons  has  drawn  me  into  long  de- 
tails, which  were  necessary  to  obviate  erroneous  impressions, 
if  any  such  had  been  instilled  into  your  majesty  by  a  Dutch 
ministry.     I  request  you  to  reflect  seriously  on  this  letter — to 


336  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

make  the  matters  of  which  it  treats  a  subject  of  deliberation 
in  your  councils,  and  through  your  ministers,  to  give  a  corre- 
sponding impulse  to  the  administration  of  the  government. 

France  will  never  permit  Holland,  under  any  pretext,  to 
secede  from  the  general  cause  of  the  continent.  As  for  the 
smugglers,  since  the  fault  has  already  been  committed,  and 
there  are  no  means  of  recalling  the  past,  I  can  only  advise 
you  not  to  leave  them  in  the  prison  of  Middleburg,  which  is 
too  near  the  scene  of  their  crime  :  send  them  to  the  other  end 
of  Holland. 

The  insertion  of  this  letter  seemed  necessary  to  exhibit  the 
true  situation  of  Louis  in  Holland.  Harassed  by  the  con- 
stant importunities  of  his  brother,  the  reaction  of  his  vexation 
was  too  often  felt  by  the  queen.  Was  she  then  sufficiently 
indulgent  ?  Did  she  feel  that,  notwithstanding  the  inferiority 
of  his  genius,  her  husband  could  not  yield,  without  pain,  to 
views  of  policy  diametrically  opposite  to  his  own?  She  pro- 
bably endured  as  long  as  it  was  in  her  power,  the  miseries 
of  an  union  without  sympathy  ;  but  she  was  unhappy,  and 
power  without  happiness  has  no  charms  save  for  the  unfeeling 
and  ambitious.  The  heart  of  Hortense  had  been  cast  in 
another  and  a  far  different  mould. 

Louis  soon  grew  weary  of  his  capital,  and  removed  the 
court  to  Utrecht,  hoping  to  escape  from  his  own  disgust  and 
chagrin.  To  change  of  place — the  first  remedy  suggested  by 
unhappiness  —  the  king,  in  his  new  abode,  sought  to  add  the 
relief  of  gaiety.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  parade  of  a 
court,  there  were  frequently  small  social  parties  at  the  palace  ; 
and  public  balls,  attended  by  the  best  society  of  the  province  ; 
but  in  all  these  assemblies,  seemingly  devoted  to  pleasure,  the 
languor  and  monotony  impressed  by  the  absence  of  the  queen, 
were  but  too  apparent.  All  remembered  the  charm  with 
which  her  wit  and  vivacity  had  enlivened  the  circles  of  the 
Hague,  and  all  regretted  the  fascination  that  ever  surrounds 
a  young,  affable,  and  beautiful  princess. 


OF    NATOLEON    III.  337 

Louis  was  soon  dissatisfied  with  his  residence  at  Utrecht. 
He  found  the  town  to  be  too  thinly  peopled  to  supply  suffi- 
cient movement  and  variety  to  the  court  circle.  Its  inhabit- 
ants were  chiefly  retired  merchants,  living  quietly  on  their 
incomes,  who  were  annoyed  by  the  turmoil  which  thus  inter- 
rupted their  old  established  habits.  While  these  showed  but 
little  gratitude  for  the  preference  of  their  sovereign,  the 
citizens  of  the  Hague,  on  the  other  hand,  were  enraged  by 
his  desertion.  Either  to  suppress  murmurs,  or  to  indulge 
once  more  the  love  of  change,  Louis  returned  again  to  the 
north  of  Holland,  where  the  industry  and  wealth  of  the  nation 
wrere  chiefly  centered.  Amsterdam  was  finally  fixed  upon,  and 
received  officially  the  merited  title  of  capital  of  the  kingdom. 

As  Holland  still  continued  to  import  great  quantities  of 
English  merchandize,  the  cause  of  the  emperor's  displeasure 
was  by  no  means  removed.  Louis  was  invited  to  attend  a 
congress  in  the  city  of  Paris,  of  all  the  sovereigns  in  alliance 
with  Napoleon.  He  was  perfectly  aware  of  the  reproaches 
that  awaited  him,  and  of  the  projects  of  his  brother  ;  but  he 
knew  also  that  when  the  independence  of  a  sovereign  is  un- 
supported by  military  forces,  resistance  to  colossal  power  is 
a  mere  sacrifice  of  the  welfare  of  his  subjects.  In  the  end  of 
November,  1809,  the  king  of  Holland  repaired  to  Paris,  in 
the  vain  hope  of  averting  the  storm  he  felt  himself  unable  to 
withstand. 

Louis  had  little  reason  to  look  for  a  fraternal  reception, 
when  he  considered  the  unfriendly  relations  subsisting  between 
France  and  Holland,  and  the  mortifications  heaped  upon  him 
under  the  sanction  of  the  emperor.  It  happened  quite  other- 
wise. Napoleon  received  his  brother  graciously,  and  in  a 
manner  expressive  of  sincere  and  ardent  friendship.  The 
king  was  at  once  surprised  and  moved  ;  pomp  and  etiquette 
were  laid  aside,  and  the  kindest  affection  replaced  the  stiffness 
of  royal  dignity.  It  was  a  meeting  of  brothers  after  a  long 
and  painful  estrangement.  The  pleasure  of  reconciliation 
engrossed  all  their  thoughts,  and  public  affairs  were  never 
29  w 


338  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

mentioned.  Still  the  king  would  have  desired  an  open  and 
unhesitating  discourse  on  the  various  interests  which  had  so 
long  divided  the  two  nations,  for  past  events  rendered  him 
suspicious,  and  the  silence  of  Napoleon  left  little  room  for 
self-deceit.  The  careless  manner  in  which  he  was  treated, 
soon  gave  him  to  understand  that  the  demands  on  Holland 
would  be  mere  subjects  of  official  communication  ;  that  he 
was  not  to  be  consulted ;  and  that  no  pains  would  be  taken 
to  secure  his  approbation,  or  to  ascertain  that  the  measures 
proposed  accorded  with  the  interests  of  Holland. 

These  gloomy  presentiments  were  soon  but  too  fully  realized. 
The  speech  of  Napoleon  to  the  legislative  body  announced 
the  sad  destiny  of  Holland.  The  king  would  probably  have 
entered  his  solemn  protest  before  the  assembled  sovereigns, 
but  cere  had  been  taken  to  exclude  him  from  the  invitation 
which  embraced  all  the  other  allies  of  the  emperor.  The 
danger  became  every  day  more  imminent :  Louis  at  length 
resolved  to  return  privately  to  his  kingdom,  and  to  resist  the 
violent  encroachments  of  his  brother,  if  resistance  were  yet 
possible.  The  secret  orders  given  for  his  departure  were 
communicated  to  the  emperor,  and  the  king,  on  his  part, 
ascertained  that  he  was  constantly  watched  by  disguised 
officers  of  the  police :  one  of  them,  an  old  soldier  of  the  fifth 
regiment  of  dragoons,  having  discovered  himself  to  his  former 
colonel.  Louis  dissimulated,  and  hoping  to  elude  the  vigilance 
of  his  guards,  feigned  total  ignorance  of  this  system  of  ob- 
servation ;  but  every  hope  proved  vain — every  plan  was  a 
failure.  Neither  corruption  nor  address  could  extricate  him 
from  the  toils  in  which  he  was  involved,  and  no  resource  was 
left  better  than  a  disguised  flight.  A  man  more  robust  and 
resolute  than  Louis,  might  have  quitted  Paris  at  nightfall  — 
mounted  his  horse  at  the  gates —  and  escaped  at  full  speed; 
but  though  still  young,  the  doubtful  health  of  the  king  pre- 
vented all  thoughts  of  so  hardy  an  enterprize.  He  resolved 
to  despatch  one  of  his  attendants  secretly  to  Amsterdam, 
with  positive  orders  to  the  minister  of  war  to  break  the  dykes, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  339 

place  the  country  in  a  complete  state  of  military  preparation, 
and  by  every  possible  exertion  to  prevent  the  French  forces 
from  occupying  the  capital.  Napoleon,  who  was  soon  informed 
of  these  measures,  made  bitter  complaints  to  the  king,  and 
gave  way  to  the  most  furious  passion.  Louis  opposed  firm 
ness  to  violence,  and  when  driven  to  extremity,  avowed 
openly  that  the  defensive  preparations  had  been  undertaken 
by  his  express  command.  "  I  have  been  deceived,"  was  his 
bold  expression,  "by  promises  which  were  never  intended  to 
be  kept.  Holland  is  weary  of  being  the  puppet  of  France." 
The  emperor,  enraged  by  a  dignified  opposition  to  which  he 
was  wholly  unused,  was  violently  excited  ;  Louis  met  him 
with  the  quiet  resignation  and  composure  of  a  good  conscience. 
Napoleon  quickly  recovered  himself,  and  becoming  suddenly 
calm,  informed  the  king  coldly,  that  he  must  choose  between 
the  union  of  Holland  to  France,  or  the  immediate  revocation 
of  his  warlike  instructions,  and  the  removal  of  his  minister 
of  war. 

This  result  had  been  the  constant  object  of  the  king's  most 
lively  apprehensions  ;  it  was  this  deadly  blow  which  he  had 
endeavored  most  especially  to  shun.  The  imperious  neces- 
sity of  his  situation  compelled  submission,  and  forced  him  to 
comply  with  the  demands  of  those  who  were  armed  with 
irresistible  power.  In  his  inmost  heart,  the  noble  design  was 
still  cherished,  of  protecting  his  dominions  from  their  immi- 
nent danger :  but  to  effect  this,  it  was  first  necessary  to  escape 
from  the  species  of  captivity  in  which  he  was  held.  His 
renewed  attempts  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  his  domestic  spies, 
were  regularly  thwarted.  Under  pretence  of  the  respectful 
deference  due  to  his  exalted  rank,  their  attendance  on  his  per- 
son was  constant,  and  they  particularly,  but  with  the  utmost 
politeness,  opposed  all  his  excursions  in  the  direction  of  the 
gate  of  Flanders. 

The  first  open  act  of  usurpation  undertaken  against  Holland, 
was  the  occupation  of  the  fortresses  of  Bergen-op-Zoora  and 
Breda  by  the  Marshal  Duke  of  Reggio,  without  the  know- 


340  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

ledge  of  the  king  :  at  the  same  time  the  emperor  proclaimed 
the  union  to  France  of  the  whole  country  between  the  Meuse, 
the  Scheldt,  and  the  ocean.  The  captive  monarch,  incapable 
of  armed  resistance,  published  a  protest  against  this  flagrant 
infraction  of  every  principle  of  international  law. 

His  health  was  so  far  affected  by  these  various  disturbances 
and  vexations,  that  for  some  time  he  was  confined  to  his  bed 
by  a  nervous  disease.  All  the  different  monarchs  then  assem- 
bled in  Paris,  hastened  to  visit  him  ;  Napoleon  alone  was 
absent,  and  this  apparent  indifference  deeply  wounded  the 
feelings  of  his  sensitive  brother.  At  length  the  emperor 
came,  and  accosted  him  with  the  utmost  kindness ;  but  the 
conversation  turned  entirely  upon  indifferent  topics,  without 
the  slightest  mention  of  politics. 

As  soon  as  his  health  would  permit,  the  king  undertook  a 
short  journey,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  his  position  on  the 
score  of  restraint.  He  proceeded  to  his  chateau  of  St.  Leu, 
where  the  question  was  resolved  to  his  disappointment  and 
mortification.  The  measure  of  sacrifice  was  not  yet  filled : 
concessions  far  more  important  than  those  already  made, 
were  still  to  be  exacted.  As  usual,  Louis  began  by  resist- 
ance and  ended  in  submission.  It  was  the  only  means  to 
retain  a  sovereignty,  of  which  he  was  less  tenacious  from 
personal  motives,  than  from  anxiety  to  preserve  the  place  of 
Holland  among  the  independent  powers  of  Europe.  Much 
was  yielded,  though  with  deep  regret.  Everything  that  was 
not  lost,  seemed  a  clear  gain  in  these  unhappy  negotiations. 
At  length  the  constant  watching  of  his  person  ceased  :  Napo- 
leon became  kind  when  all  his  demands  were  conceded,  and 
even  endeavored  to  renew  their  former  affection.  After  an 
absence  which,  instead  of  lasting  one  month,  had  been  pro- 
longed to  four,  Louis  took  his  departure  from  France.  His 
affliction  at  this  protracted  separation  from  his  kingdom 
may  well  be  imagined,  but  every  sorrow  was  forgotten  as  he 
approached  once  more  his  adopted  country,  his  cherished 
Holland. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  341 

The  highest  enjoyment  of  a  monarch,  the  delight  of  wit- 
nessing the  joy  of  his  subjects,  awaited  Louis  in  his  dominions. 
Dark  rumors,  hinting  that  he  would  never  return,  had  been 
long  circulated,  and  the  sensation  produced  by  his  re-appear- 
ance was  the  more  enthusiastic  in  proportion  to  its  being  un- 
expected. The  queen  also  was  immediately  looked  for.  Her 
residence  at  Paris  had  been  but  little  happier  than  her  hus- 
band's, for  the  same  ambition  which  excited  Napoleon's 
aggressions  upon  Holland,  had  also  inspired  the  project  of 
an  imperial  alliance  with  the  house  of  Austria.  Motives 
seemingly  the  most  opposite,  governed  the  deeds  of  this 
extraordinary  man.  After  routing  the  armies  of  Francis  in 
a  hundred  battles  —  after  two  entries  as  a  conqueror  into  the 
German  capital — he  rejoiced  in  consummating  the  humiliation 
of  his  enemy,  by  extorting  his  consent  to  the  marriage  of  his 
daughter.  It  seemed  also  to  the  fortunate  soldier,  that  an 
alliance  with  the  oldest  and  haughtiest  dynasty  of  Europe, 
would  seat  him  legitimately  on  his  uninherited  throne. 

A  second  marriage  being  decreed,  it  became  necessary  to 
annul  the  first.  Long  before  any  direct  expression  of  the 
imperial  will,  the  quick-sighted  courtiers  had  discovered  Na- 
poleon's intentions;  which  were  allowed,  indeed,  to  escape 
by  degrees,  as  if  to  prepare  the  public  mind,  and  the  feelings 
of  the  individuals  most  deeply  interested.  In  this  he  was 
unsuccessful.  A  palace  seldom  contains  the  courage  or  the 
indiscretion  that  will  convey  unwelcome  intelligence  to  the 
sovereign,  before  it  assumes  an  official  shape.  Notwithstand- 
ing all  the  precautions  of  her  husband,  the  heart  of  Josephine 
was  so  long  a  stranger  to  distrust,  that  even  at  the  fatal 
moment  of  explanation,  the  blow  prepared  by  the  manoeuvres 
of  many  weeks,  and  announced  through  every  channel,  came 
at  last,  with  the  suddenness  and  severity  of  an  unexpected 
shock. 

As  early  as  a  journey  to  Fontainbleau,  in  1807,  the  word 
divorce  had  been  cautiously  whispered  by  the  officers  of  the 
imperial  household.     A  sudden  death  had  carried  off  the 
29* 


342  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

eldest  son  of  the  queen  of  Holland  ;  a  loss  deeply  regretted 
by  Napoleon.  When  only  seven  years  of  age,  the  child  ex- 
hibited a  most  promising  disposition,  great  mildness  of 
temper,  and  an  aptitude  of  character,  capable  of  receiving 
the  noblest  impressions.  The  first  born  of  the  new  dynasty 
had  excited  and  preserved  all  the  solicitude  and  affection  of 
its  founder,  who  had  given  him  his  name,  and  had  proposed 
adoption.  Napoleon  indulged  the  hope  of  superintending 
his  education,  and  of  making  him  ultimately  the  heir  of  his 
power :  with  the  death  of  this  child  came  probably  the  first 
thought  of  centreing  in  himself  and  his  direct  line,  the  hopes 
and  heritage  of  so  many  victories. 

After  the  conferences  of  Schoenbrunn,  the  idea  of  a  divorce 
had  obtained  complete  possession  of  the  mind  of  Napoleon. 
On  his  return  to  France  after  the  conclusion  of  peace,  he 
proceeded  directly  to  Fontainbleau.  His  journey  had  been 
so  well  arranged,  that  he  arrived  many  hours  before  the  em- 
press, who  had  quitted  Strasburg,  and  had  been  more  than  a 
month  at  Paris.  This  delay  produced  severe  reproaches  on 
the  part  of  Napoleon,  who  was  seeking  excuses  for  his  con- 
duct even  to  himself. 

"  Three  days  after  our  arrival  at  Fontainbleau,"  says  an 
officer  of  the  household  who  has  since  published  his  memoirs, 
"  I  observed  some  traces  of  sadness  upon  the  brow  of  Josephine, 
and  much  less  freedom  in  Napoleon's  manners  towards  her. 
One  morning,  after  breakfast,  the  empress  did  me  the  honor 
to  converse  with  me  in  the  recess  of  a  window  in  her  chamber  ; 
and  after  some  commonplace  questions  respecting  our  stay 
at  Schoenbrunn,  and  the  manner  in  which  we  passed  our  time 
there,  she  said  to  me,  '  Monsieur  de  Bausset,  I  have  great 
confidence  in  your  attachment  to  me  :  I  hope  you  will  reply 
with  sincerity  to  the  question  I  am  about  to  ask  you.'  I 
assured  her  of  my  readiness  to  give  her  all  the  information  in 
my  power,  and  that  I  felt  at  greater  liberty  to  do  so,  because 
nothing  had  been  entrusted  to  me  which  could  bind  me  to 
gilence.     'Well,  then,  if  you  know  the  reason,  tell  me  why 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  343 

the  private  communication  between  my  apartment  and  that 
of  the  emperor  has  been  closed.'  'I  was  entirely  ignorant 
of  it,  madam,  until  your  present  assurance  of  the  fact.  I 
only  know  that  some  repairs  were  commenced,  and  that  they 
have  been  suspended  in  consequence  of  the  emperor  having 
returned  much  sooner  than  he  was  expeeted.  Probably  they 
did  not  imagine  that  he  would  take  up  his  residence  at  Fon- 
tainbleau  so  late  in  the  season.  Your  majesty  may  perceive 
from  the  manner  in  which  some  of  your  apartments  are 
furnished,  that  things  are  not  yet  completed.'  Such  was  my 
answer,  and  in  truth  I  should  have  been  much  embarrassed 
had  I  made  any  other,  for  this  was  not  the  time  to  speak  of 
my  private  observations.  I  shall  never  forget  the  last  words 
which  this  estimable  princess  condescended  to  address  to  me  : 
'  Be  assured,  M.  de  Bausset,  that  there  is  some  mystery  in  all 
this. '  This  conversation  only  served  to  strengthen  the  im- 
pressions I  had  received  during  the  negotiations  at  Schoen- 
brunn,  although  I  could  not  foresee  the  period  of  the  catas- 
trophe, nor  how  it  would  be  brought  about.  I  was  soon 
better  informed. 

"The  king  of  Saxony  arrived  at  Paris  on  the  13th  of  No- 
vember, and  their  majesties  left  Fontainbleau  on  the  14th. 
Napoleon  performed  the  journey  on  horseback,  and  immedi- 
f  .tely  after  his  arrival  he  paid  a  visit  to  the  king,  who  occupied 
the  palace  of  L'Elysee.  The  presence  of  this  virtuous  mon- 
arch at  Paris  sometimes  interrupted  their  privacy,  but  the 
embarrassment  of  Napoleon  increased  proportionally  with 
the  uneasiness  and  vague  forebodings  of  the  empress.  She 
appeared  to  have  a  strong  presentiment  of  approaching  mis- 
fortune, and  to  be  gathering  her  strength  to  support  its 
bitterness  with  fortitude. 

"  I  was  on  duty  at  the  Tuilleries,  after  the  27th  of  Novem- 
ber. On  that  day,  and  on  the  succeeding  Tuesday  and  Wed- 
nesday, I  could  easily  observe  a  great  change  in  the  features 
of  the  empress,  and  a  mute  constraint  in  the  manners  of 
Ns-»)oleon.     If  during  dinner,  he  broke  the  silence,  it  was 


344  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

only  to  ask  me  some  brief  question,  without  listening  to  my 
reply.  On  each  of  these  days  the  dinner  was  over  in  less 
than  ten  minutes.  At  length,  on  Thursday,  the  30th,  the 
storm  burst.  Their  majesties  sat  down  at  table  :  Josephine 
wore  a  large  white  hat,  which  was  tied  under  the  chin,  and 
concealed  a  great  part  of  her  face.  I  thought  I  could  per- 
ceive that  she  had  been  weeping,  and  that  she  still  restrained 
her  tears  with  difficulty.  She  appeared  the  image  of  grief 
and  despair.  The  most  profound  silence  reigned  during  the 
whole  meal,  and  the  dishes  were  touched  out  of  mere  form. 
The  only  words  uttered  were  when  Napoleon  asked  me  '  what 
kind  of  weather  it  was  ?'  In  pronouncing  them  he  rose  from 
the  table,  and  Josephine  slowly  followed.  When  coffee  was 
served,  Napoleon  took  the  cup  from  the  page  in  waiting,  and 
intimated  that  he  wished  to  be  alone.  Anxious,  uneasy,  and 
a  prey  to  gloomy  reflections,  I  immediately  retired  to  the 
attendance  hall,  where  their  majesties  usually  dined,  and  sat 
down  in  an  arm  chair  near  the  door  of  the  emperor's  apart- 
ment. I  was  watching  mechanically  the  removal  of  the 
dinner  service,  when  I  suddenly  heard  the  empress  shriek 
violently.  The  usher  of  the  chamber  was  on  the  point  of 
opening  the  door,  but  I  prevented  him,  observing  that  the 
emperor  would  call  for  assistance  if  he  thought  it  necessary. 

"  I  was  standing  close  to  the  door  when  Napoleon  opened 
it  himself,  and  said  quickly  on  perceiving  me,  '  Come  in, 
Bausset,  and  shut  the  door.'  I  entered  the  room,  and  saw  the 
empress  lying  on  the  carpet,  and  uttering  the  most  lamentable 
cries  and  complaints.  'No!  no  1  I  can  never  survive  it,' 
exclaimed  the  unfortunate  princess.  Napoleon  said  to  me, 
'  Bausset,  are  you  strong  enough  to  carry  Josephine  down  the 
private  staircase  to  her  own  apartment  ?'  I  immediately 
obeyed,  and  with  the  assistance  of  Napoleon,  raised  the  em- 
press, who  seemed  to  be  laboring  under  a  nervous  attack. 
He  then  took  a  light  from  the  table,  and  opened  a  door,  which 
led  through  an  obscure  passage  to  the  staircase  he  had  men- 
tioned.   When  we  had  come  to  the  first  step  of  the  staircase, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  3A5 

I  observed  to  Napoleon  that  it  was  too  narrow  for  us  ta 
descend  without  falling1  •  he  immediately  called  the  keeper  of 
nis  portefolio,  who  was  stationed,  night  and  day,  at  a  door 
of  the  cabinet  opening  upon  the  landing.  Napoleon  gave 
him  the  torch,  which  was  now  of  no  use  in  the  lighted  pas 
sage,  and  ordered  him  to  go  before.  He  then  took  hold  of 
Josephine's  feet  himself,  to  enable  me  to  descend  with  more 
ease.  Once  my  sword  embarrassed  me,  and  I  thought  we 
should  certainly  fall ;  but  happily  no  acudent  occurred,  and 
we  deposited  our  precious  burthen  on  an  ottoman  in  her  bed- 
chamber. 

"  The  emperor  immediately  ran  to  the  bell-pull,  and  rang 
for  the  women  of  the  empress.  She  had  ceased  to  moan  since 
I  had  first  raised  her  in  the  upper  saloon,  and  I  imagined 
that  she  had  fainted,  until  the  time  of  the  little  difficulty  with 
my  sword  in  the  middle  of  the  stairs.  As  we  had  no  time 
for  arranging  our  positions,  I  was  obliged  to  tighten  my 
grasp  in  order  to  avoid  a  fall  which  might  have  been  fatal  to 
all  of  us.  My  arms  were  round  her  waist  —  her  back  sup- 
ported by  my  breast  —  and  her  head  lying  on  my  right 
shoulder.  When  she  perceived  my  endeavors  to  keep  from 
falling,  she  whispered,  '  You  press  me  too  hard. '  From 
that  moment  I  felt  no  apprehensions  about  her  health,  and 
it  was  evident  that  she  had  never  lost  her  recollection  for  an 
instant. 

"  During  this  whole  transaction  I  was  too  busy  with 
Josephine  to  observe  Napoleon  ;  but  when  the  attendants 
came  in,  I  followed  him  into  a  small  antechamber  adjoining 
the  bed-room.  His  agitation  and  uneasiness  were  excessive. 
His  grief,  indeed,  disturbed  him  so  much,  that  he  informed 
me  of  the  cause  of  all  that  had  passed,  in  these  words.  '  The 
interests  of  France  and  of  my  dynasty  do  violence  to  my 
heart.  Divorce  has  become  a  rigorous  duty.  I  am  the  more 
afflicted  at  this  scene  with  Josephine,  because  she  must  have 
heard  everything  from  Hortense  three  days  ago.  I  deplore 
with  my  whole  heart  the  necessity  which  condemns  me  to  a 


S46  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

separation.  I  thought  she  had  more  firmness,  and  was  by 
no  means  prepared  for  such  a  paroxysm  of  grief.'  His  emo- 
tion compelled  him  to  utter  these  sentences  at  long  intervals  ; 
the  words  were  pronounced  with  difficulty  and  almost  without 
connection.  His  voice  was  faltering  and  oppressed,  and  his 
eyes  filled  with  tears.  He  must  have  lost  all  self-command, 
or  he  would  never  have  entered  into  such  details  to  one  so 
far  removed  from  his  councils  and  his  confidence  as  myself. 
The  whole  scene  did  not  last  more  than  seven  or  eight 
minutes. 

"  Napoleon  immediately  sent  for  Corvisart,  Queen  Hor- 
tense,  Cambaceres  and  Fouche" ;  but  before  returning  to  his 
own  apartment,  he  made  personal  inquiries  after  Josephine, 
who  was  calmer  and  more  resigned." 

It  was  easy  indeed  for  him  to  feel  resigned  to  the  blow 
about  to  be  inflicted  upon  his  best  friend,  and  most  faithful 
companion  ;  and  it  was  equally  unreasonable  to  charge  her 
with  weakness,  because  a  complaint  escaped  her  at  the  fatal 
crisis.  He  might  have  learned  from  his  own  experience,  that 
keenness  of  feeling  is  the  first  emotion  of  surprised  pride. 
His  own  disorder — the  few  words  of  apology  stammered  out 
to  an  inferior  attendant  —  the  tears  he  was  unable  to  restrain 
. — were  at  least  as  much  astonishing,  as  that  Josephine  should 
exhibit  in  her  grief  the  weakness  of  a  woman,  rather  than  the 
dignity  of  a  sovereign.  It  is  true  that  the  unhappy  empress 
had  been  already  led  to  expect  this  afflicting  communication  ; 
but  the  instructions  of  Napoleon,  given  as  well  to  prevent  his 
own  embarrassment,  as  out  of  consideration  for  Josephine, 
had  been  but  imperfectly  fulfilled.  Hortense  was  selected  as 
the  natural  mediatrix,  because,  as  she  was  endeared  by  the 
closest  ties  of  blood,  she  could  best  employ  the  affectionate 
stratagems  and  soothing  address,  so  necessary  to  prepare  her 
mother  for  her  calamity.  But  the  same  feelings  prevented 
her  complete  co-operation  ;  for  in  the  proposed  measure,  she 
could  see  neither  propriety  nor  necessity,  while  her  filial 
affection  and  queenly  pride  pointed  out  all  its  injustice  and 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  347 

caprice.  The  confidence  of  the  emperor  was  to  her  a  misfor- 
tune ;  and  her  heart  would  have  broken  had  it  been  required 
that  she  should  declare  the  imperial  will  abruptly  to  her 
mother.  A  few  distant  allusions  and  equivocal  expressions, 
which  were  all  she  could  bring  herself  to  utter,  fulfilled  the 
strict  commands  of  duty  ;  after  these,  it  was  but  just  that  the 
first  cause  of  all  the  evil,  should  bear  the  punishment  of 
announcing  its  approach,  and  sustaining  the  first  burst  of 
sorrow  or  anger  produced  by  the  sad  intelligence. 

The  liveliness  of  Josephine's  grief  was  displayed  in  all  her 
sentiments  and  expressions.  The  invincible  goodness  of  her 
heart  recalled  the  many  ties  that  united  her  to  the  emperor, 
at  the  very  moment  when  they  were  about  to  be  eternally 
severed.  Her  least  regret  was  for  her  throne  :  it  was  the  loss 
of  her  husband,  so  warmly  admired  and  so  truly  loved — that 
excited  the  keenest  and  most  enduring  affliction.  Not  con- 
tent, however,  with  practising  herself  the  duties  of  gratitude 
and  submission,  she  enjoined  and  enforced  them  upon  her 
children.  Young  and  strongly  attached  to  their  mother,  they 
felt  themselves  injured  by  the  blow  directed  against  her  rights. 
This  exalted  filial  piety,  justified  by  natural  affection,  was 
pardonable  even  in  the  eyes  of  reason  and  policy. 

Josephine  was  the  true  and  only  link  of  connection  between 
Napoleon  and  her  children  :  after  her  divorce,  their  natural 
relation  towards  him  was  inferior  to  that  of  collateral  rela- 
tives. The  crown  of  Italy,  which  had  been  promised  to 
Eugene,  was  lost  beyond  all  hope,  when  the  emperor  could 
look  forward  to  heirs  of  his  own  blood.  The  situation  of 
Hortense  was  in  no  wise  more  favorable.  Her  condition  as 
the  wife  of  Napoleon's  brother  seemed  a  feeble  bond  of  union, 
when  that  brother  already  tottered  on  his  throne,  and  when 
every  day  increased  his  estrangement  from  his  consort.  It 
was  therefore  excusable  in  the  brother  and  sister,  if  they 
wished  to  resign  the  grandeur  already  half  lost  by  the  divorce 
of  their  mother,  and  to  become  the  companions  of  her  retire- 
ment, and  the  sharers  of  her  obscurity.    Josephine  moderated 


348  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

these  transports  of  feeling  ;  she  excused  the  conduct  of  Na- 
poleon, reminded  them  of  their  obligations  to  his  favor,  and 
commanded  implicit  obedience  to  the  will  of  him,  who  was  to 
them  a  father  and  a  sovereign.  Their  sacrifice  was  in  the 
highest  degree  meritorious.  What  could  be  more  painful, 
after  they  had  left  their  weeping  mother,  than  to  mingle  in 
all  the  pomp  of  a  second  marriage — to  see  a  haughty  stranger 
Seated  on  the  throne  of  Josephine — to  gaze  upon  the  throng 
of  servile  courtiers  crowding  around  this  new  object  of  adula- 
tion— and  to  acknowledge  a  mistress,  when  they  had  forgotten 
their  condition  as  subjects,  in  the  honored  title  of  children 
of  the  empress  ? 

In  every  ceremony  requiring  his  presence,  Eugene  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  dignified  behavior.  His  countenance, 
usually  mild  and  smiling,  had  become  grave  and  serious, 
strongly  expressive  of  internal  distress,  restrained  by  pride, 
honor,  and  the  obligations  of  the  occasion.  He  was  a  man; 
but  the  feminine  weakness  of  his  sister  was  unequal  to  a 
similar  exertion.  Four  queens  bore  the  imperial  train  of 
Maria  Louisa,  as  she  approached  the  nuptial  altar  :  Hor- 
tense,  one  of  the  four,  wept  bitterly  as  she  followed  the  new 
bride  of  Napoleon,  and  when  the  fatal  Yes  was  pronounced 
that  separated  him  forever  from  her  mother,  she  utttered  a 
loud  shriek  and  became  insensible.  When  this  tribute  to 
nature  and  her  sex  had  been  thus  paid,  she  recovered  all  her 
native  strength  of  character,  and  the  lofty  bearing  befitting 
her  rank 

Josephine  practised  in  its  fullest  extent  the  generous  mode 
ration  she  inculcated  on  her  children.  It  was  in  her  power 
to  have  interposed  serious  obstacles  in  the  way  of  Napoleon's 
marriage,  by  means  of  the  religious  scruples  of  Maria  Louisa, 
who,  from  her  education  in  a  bigoted  court,  evinced  a  strong 
repugnance  to  become  the  wife  of  one  whose  former  union 
was  still  unbroken  in  its  sacramental  obligation.  The  new 
bride  had  received  assurances  that  Napoleon's  first  marriage 
was  a  mere  civil  ceremony ;  but  she  refused  to  trust  any  other 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  349 

authority  than  that  of  Josephine  herself.  The  Duke  of 
Rovigo  has  stated  in  his  Memoirs,  that  Napoleon  had  never 
espoused  Josephine  in  church  :  in  this  assertion  he  has  only- 
repeated  the  rumor  which  he  and  many  others  had  most  pro- 
bably been  ordered  to  spread  at  the  time  of  the  divorce,  but 
it  is  not,  on  that  account,  the  less  untrue.  Every  religious 
rite  had  been  fulfilled,  and,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  twice 
instead  of  once.  The  first  time  the  ceremony  was  performed 
by  a  parish  priest ;  afterwards,  a  few  days  before  the  corona- 
tion, in  consequence  of  some  informalities  discovered  by  the 
cardinal  delegated  by  the  pope,  the  nuptial  benediction  was 
repeated  by  himself  in  the  chapel  of  the  Tuilleries  :  Duroc 
and  Eugene  were  two  of  the  witnesses  present.  The  cardinal 
subsequently,  at  the  request  of  Josephine,  signed  a  certificate, 
declaring  the  reality  and  validity  of  her  religious  marriage  ; 
but  no  use  was  made  of  this  powerful  weapon.  The  will  of 
a  husband  who  deserted  her,  was  respected,  and  an  equivocal 
reply,  involving  no  direct  violation  of  the  truth,  quieted  all 
the  scruples  of  Maria  Louisa.  She  was  requested  to  refer 
to  the  Moniteur ;  when  Josephine  well  knew  that  Napoleon 
had  thought  it  inexpedient  to  publish  in  that  journal,  his 
deference  for  the  wishes  of  the  pope  and  the  cardinal. 

In  separating  for  ever  from  her  consort,  Josephine  sought 
the  sad  satisfaction  of  writing  her  farewell,  and  of  giving  him 
for  the  last  time  those  counsels,  which  he  had  always  followed 
with  advantage.  From  such  a  letter  it  was  impossible  to 
exclude  every  expression  of  conjugal  and  maternal  grief;  but 
it  is  to  the  foresight,  rather  than  to  the  sorrow  of  Josephine, 
that  we  must  ascribe  the  prophetic  foreboding  of  evil,  so 
soon  to  be  realized.  We  here  insert  this  interesting  document. 

"  My  forebodings  are  realized  I  you  have  pronounced  the 
word  which  separates  us  for  ever ;  the  rest  is  nothing  more 
than  mere  formality.  This,  then,  is  the  consummation,  I  will 
not  say  of  all  ray  sacrifices, — they  cost  me  nothing  since  they 
were  made  for  you,  —  but  of  my  unbounded  attachment,  and 
of  your  own  most  solemn  obligations.  If  the  policy  which 
30 


350  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

you  allege  as  a  reason  should  prove  successful,  I  should  not 
complain,  but  policy  is  a  mere  pretext.  It  is  to  your  mis- 
taken ambition  that  I  am  sacrificed  —  to  that  ambition  which 
has  guided  your  whole  career,  which  has  led  you  to  conquest, 
elevated  you  to  empire,  and  now  hurries  you  onward  to  dis- 
aster and  defeat. 

"You  speak  of  mighty  alliances,  of  giving  an  heir  to  the 
empire,  of  founding  a  new  dynasty ;  but  with  whom  is  this 
alliance  to  be  formed  ?  With  the  deceitful  house  of  Austria, 
the  sworn  enemy  of  France  ;  a  family  which  detests  us  from 
feeling,  from  system,  and  from  necessity.  Do  you  believe 
that  this  hatred,  so  often  displayed  within  the  last  half  cen- 
tury, has  not  been  transferred  from  the  Bourbons  to  the 
empire  ?  Or  do  you  suppose  that  the  children  of  the  able 
Maria  Theresa,  who  purchased  from  Madame  de  Pompadour 
the  fatal  treaty  of  1756,  which  you  cannot  even  mention 
without  a  shudder  —  do  you  suppose  that  her  posterity  have 
not  inherited  her  spirit  as  well  as  her  dominion  ?  I  only 
repeat  what  you  have  told  me  a  hundred  times  when  your 
ambition  was  satisfied  with  humiliating  a  power  which  it  now 
seeks  to  restore.  Believe  me,  as  long  as  you  are  master  of 
Europe,  you  will  find  her  your  slave  ;  but  beware  of  a  reverse  ! 

"You  wish,  however,  an  heir.  Even  though  as  a  mother, 
I  should  appear  partial  in  speaking  of  a  son  who  is  all  my 
delight,  and  used  to  be  your  hope  —  can  I  or  ought  I  to  be 
silent?  The  adoption  of  the  12th  of  January,  1806,  was 
then  another  political  falsehood  :  but  there  is  no  deception  in 
the  virtues  and  talents  of  my  Eugene.  How  often  have  you 
yourself  praised  them  !  Praised  them  !  you  have  endeavored 
to  recompense  them  with  a  throne,  while  you  confessed  that 
the  reward  was  inferior  to  his  merits.  All  France  has  re- 
echoed these  sentiments,  but  what  are  the  wishes  of  France  ? 
I  do  not  speak  of  my  successor,  and  you  can  hardly  expect 
it,  when  all  I  could  say  of  her  would  appear  suspicious. 
There  can  be  no  suspicion  as  to  my  prayer  for  your  happiness, 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  351 

which  alone  can  now  console  me.  Ah  !  how  great  will  that 
happiness  be,  if  it  equals  my  sorrow." 

The  king  of  Holland  entertained  a  sincere  friendship  for 
Josephine,  and  was  deeply  grieved  at  the  divorce,  yet  he  was 
very  near  following  the  example  of  Napoleon.  The  time  had 
not  come,  when  he  could  venture  to  solicit  openly  for  a  disso- 
lution of  his  marriage,  but  he  wished  to  add  the  sanction  of 
the  law  to  the  actual  separation  existing  between  himself  and 
his  queen.  The  health  of  both  parties  was,  in  point  of  fact, 
much  impaired  ;  the  true  motive,  however,  was  to  be  sought 
in  their  discordant  tempers.  During  the  whole  period  of  his 
late  residence  in  Paris,  Louis  had  never  seen  the  queen, 
except  on  those  public  occasions  when  a  meeting  was  rendered 
unavoidable  by  the  rules  of  etiquette.  On  his  arrival  from 
Holland,  he  had  repaired  immediately  to  his  mother's  resi- 
dence, instead  of  proceeding  to  his  own  palace,  which  was 
occupied  by  Hortense.  After  all  this  coldness,  he  expressed 
a  desire  for  her  return  to  Amsterdam  ;  and  she  conceived 
herself  obliged  by  duty  to  comply  with  all  his  wishes.  He 
was  unfortunate  ;  his  kingdom  was  menaced  by  the  imperial 
armies ;  and  the  winning  manners,  amiability  and  address  of 
the  queen,  might  prove  extremely  useful  in  encouraging  his 
dispirited  subjects,  and  in  preserving  to  the  last  moment  their 
wavering  allegiance. 

The  experience  of  a  few  weeks  satisfied  Hortense  that  she 
had  flattered  herself  with  a  vain  illusion.  In  private,  the 
behaviour  of  the  king  had  undergone  no  change,  and  he  soon 
found  the  public  observance  of  appearances,  an  intolerable 
constraint.  Indifference,  discord,  and  misunderstanding  be- 
came too  apparent,  and  alike  annoyed  and  afflicted  the  people 
and  their  courtiers,  the  French  and  the  Dutch.  Hortense 
was  soon  convinced  that  her  presence  could  be  more  useful  to 
her  mother  than  to  her  husband.  Under  pretext  of  ill  health, 
she  removed  for  a  few  days  to  the  royal  castle  of  Leu  ;  and 
thence,  without  the  least  intimation  to  the  king,  she  set  out 
for  France. 


352  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

It  is  said  that  Louis  was  somewhat  piqued  when  he  heard 
of  this  departure,  either  on  account  of  the  contempt  displayed 
for  his  authority,  or  because  he  really  entertained  the  plan, 
asserted  by  some,  of  compelling  the  queen  to  reside  in  hia 
dominions.     This  latter   supposition  is  highly  improbable. 
The  justice   and   humanity  of  Louis,  himself  so    severe   a 
sufferer  by  state  policy,  could  scarcely  have  inflicted  the  same 
wrongs  upon  a  neglected  wife.     Still,  however,  the  best  and 
most  reasonable  are  often  inconsistent :  and  we  are  seldom 
governed  ourselves  by  the  same  rigid  morality  which  influences 
our  judgment  of  the  conduct  of  others.     A  rigid  supporter 
of  political    necessity,   Napoleon    himself  has  censured  the 
behaviour  of  Hortense,  and  her  little  inclination  to  remain 
with  her  husband.     In  the  memorial  of  St*  Helena  it  is  said 
that  "Josephine  constantly  professed  submission,  devotion, 
and    the    most    unbounded    complaisance.       She    frequently 
blamed  and  reproved  her  daughter  Hortense  and  her  niece 
Stephanie,  who  lived  on  bad  terms  with  their  husbands,  ex- 
hibited caprice,   and  affected  a  sort  of  independence."     In 
another  place  he  says,  "  Hortense,  with  all  her  goodness  and 
generosity,  was  not  without  fault  in  her  behaviour  tb  her  hus- 
band ;  this  I  must  admit,  notwithstanding  the  affection  I  bear 
her,  and  the  real  attachment  which  I  know  she  feels  for  me. 
However  eccentric  and  disagreeable  Louis  may  have  been, 
he  undoubtedly  loved  her ;   and  every  woman,  under  such 
circumstances,  and  with   equally  important  calls,   ought  to 
know  how  to  restrain  her  feelings  and  even  to  love  in  return. 
Had  she  possessed  this  self-command,  the  vexation  of  her  late 
law  suit  would  have  been  spared  and  her  life  rendered  happier. 
If  she- had  accompanied  Louis  to  Holland,  he  would  never 
have  quitted  Amsterdam,  nor  should  I  have  been  compelled 
to  take  possession  of  his  kingdom,   a  measure  which  con- 
tributed greatly  to  ruin  me  in  Europe,  and  thus  many  events 
might  have  taken  a  different  turn. " 

Napoleon  must  have  been  strangely  disposed  to  ascribe 
great  results  to  trifling  causes,  if  he  really  imagined  the  union 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  353 

of  Holland  and  France  to  have  been  the  consequence,  either 
of  the  discord  of  Louis  and  his  consort,  or  of  the  indifference 
of  Hortense  for  her  husband.  If  this  was  his  true  belief, 
why  had  he  not  commanded  them  to  sacrifice  their  mutual 
dislike  ?  His  will  had  certainly  worked  greater  miracles  than 
this.  The  truth  is,  that  the  emperor  never  occupied  himself 
seriously  with  these  family  dissensions  ;  and  all  three  per- 
fectly understood  their  relative  positions.  Louis  had  adopted 
the  only  reasonable  line  of  policy ;  his  wife  admired  his  con- 
duct, even  while  lamenting  the  inevitable  rupture  with  Napo- 
leon, and  had  she  idolized  her  husband  she  could  never  have 
advised  him  to  other  measures.  The  policy  of  the  emperor 
was  wholly  independent  of  mere  domestic  relations.  In  giving 
up  to  the  bent,  or  perhaps  to  the  caprice  of  their  dispositions, 
Louis  and  Hortense  endangered  nothing  but  their  individual 
happiness ;  all  the  rest  depended  on  the  destiny,  or  rather  on 
the  ambition  of  Napoleon.  It  was  no  doubt  through  a  singu- 
lar modesty  that  he  preferred  seeking  in  others,  those  causes 
of  action  which  existed  only  in  himself.  With  Louis,  the 
great  misfortune  was  not  so  much  the  alleged  indifference  of 
his  consort,  as  his  own  inability  to  stand  in  comparison  with 
the  lofty  genius  of  his  brother.  That  same  genius  which 
conquers  kingdoms,  subjects  nations,  creates  monarchies,  and 
legislates  for  an  empire,  possesses  in  everything  a  supernatural 
energy.  It  rules  the  hearts  of  women,  as  despotically  as  the 
reason  and  courage  of  men.  To  his  family  the  emperor  was 
fond  and  affectionate  ;  had  he  been  savage  and  brutal,  still 
Josephine  would  have  ever  shown  mildness,  submission,  and 
love.  Fortune  had  dealt  hardly  by  Louis  :  his  character  was 
unamiable,  and  he  wanted  the  commanding  mind  of  Napoleon. 
But,  alas  !  genius  is  often  a  fatality. 

Josephine  retained,  after  her  divorce,  the  title  of  empress, 
with  a  fortune  and  household  befitting  her  dignity.  Her  re- 
tirement still  bore  the  appearance  of  a  court ;  differing  only 
in  the  less  strict  observance  of  etiquette  and  in  the  diminished 
attendance  of  courtiers,  but  atoning  in  freedom  from  restraint 
30*  x 


35*  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

and  in  general  kindness,  for  the  want  of  magnificence  and 
ceremony.  The  pleasures  of  a  circle  of  intimate  friends  are 
certainly  the  best  consolations  for  the  loss  of  power ;  and 
Josephine  having  full  liberty  to  travel,  enjoyed  the  additional 
advantage  of  carrying  all  her  society  along  with  her.  On 
these  expeditions,  liberty  increased  in  direct  proportion  to 
the  distance  from  the  capital.  She  chiefly  resided  at  her 
country  seats,  Malmaison  and  Navarre,  though  sometimes 
more  distant  journeys  were  undertaken.  On  one  occasion  she 
even  went  as  far  as  Geneva,  where  the  viceroy  of  Italy  and 
his  queen  came  from  Milan  to  visit  her.  Hortense,  who  was 
always  with  her  mother,  made  one  of  the  party  on  this  occa- 
sion. She  wished,  while  in  the  vicinity  of  Savoy,  to  drink 
the  celebrated  waters  of  Aix,  which  had  been  recommended 
for  the  restoration  of  her  health,  then  very  precarious,  and 
attended  with  a  kind  of  morbid  melancholy. 

Her  faithful  friend,  Madame  de  Broc,  followed  her  to  Aix. 
They  frequently  amused  themselves  with  long  walks  in  this 
picturesque  and  extraordinary  region,  where  every  excursion, 
every  fresh  step,  seemed  to  unfold  additional  objects  of  ad- 
miration. The  wonders  of  nature  are  always  enhanced  by 
sentiment,  and  we  discover  new  beauties  in  a  magnificent 
prospect  when  we  view  it  in  the  company  of  those  we  love. 
Hortense  felt  this  pleasure  the  more  keenly,  as  landscape 
painting  was  one  of  the  branches  of  art  in  which  she  particu- 
larly excelled. 

The  two  friends,  one  day,  attempted  the  ascent  of  a  moun- 
tain which  promised  to  afford  a  magnificent  and  unbounded 
prospect.  To  reach  the  summit  it  was  necessary  to  cross  a 
deep  ravine,  apparently  torn  open  by  some  terrible  convulsion. 
The  darkness  of  the  abyss  was  rather  increased  than  con- 
cealed by  the  alpine  firs  scattered  along  its  sides  ;  while  below, 
a  rapid  torrent  rolled  noisily  along.  The  gloomy  sublimity 
of  the  whole  scene  struck  the  vivid  imagination  of  Hortense, 
and  she  remained  for  a  moment  in  silent  admiration.      Her 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  355 

deep  feelings  were  too  soon  to  be  wounded  by  a  more  real 
horror. 

Their  guides  had  hastily  laid  a  narrow  plank  across  the 
chasm  as  a  bridge.  Hortense,  who  first  made  the  attempt, 
crossed  with  a  firm,  light  step,  and  in  perfect  safety.  Madame 
de  Broc  ventured  in  her  turn.  A  sudden  crash  is  heard, 
followed  by  a  piercing  shriek — Hortense  turns  and  rushes  to 
the  brink,  the  plank  had  given  way,  and  she  sees  the  body  of 
her  unhappy  friend,  shooting  from  rock  to  rock,  and  over- 
whelmed at  last  in  the  waters  of  the  torrent.  There  were  no 
ropes  at  hand,  and  no  ladder  could  have  been  long  enough 
to  reach  the  foot  of  the  precipice.  The  guides  never  doubted 
her  fate  for  an  instant ;  death  was  inevitable,  and  it  was 
scarcely  even  to  be  hoped  that  the  mutilated  corpse  might  be 
carried  far  into  the  valley,  and  deposited  where  the  care  of 
friends  could  recover  it  for  the  last  sad  funeral  rites.  Over- 
whelmed with  grief,  Hortense  lost  every  thought  of  her  own 
escape  from  a  similar  fate  in  traversing  the  same  frail  plank. 
Her  situation  was  really  alarming,  and  the  guides  were 
obliged  to  lay  hastily  a  stronger  bridge  and  to  cross  to  her 
assistance.  Her  oldest  friend,  she  who  had  shared  every  wish 
and  soothed  all  her  sorrows,  was  thus  torn  from  her  by  a 
sudden  and  fearful  death.  It  was  the  most  terrible  shock 
sustained  by  Hortense,  since  the  loss  of  her  eldest  son.  When 
time  and  care  had  in  some  degree  restored  her  to  health,  she 
sought  to  divert  her  grief  by  her  customary  occupations  of 
beneficence.  She  founded  a  hospital  at  Aix,  and  devoted  a 
great  portion  of  each  day  to  the  distribution  of  money  and 
medicine  to  its  sick  or  indigent  inmates  ;  accompanying  her 
gifts  with  those  kind  expressions,  which  render  charity  yet 
more  welcome  and  more  efficacious. 

At  length  the  hurricane  which  had  been  so  long  and  so 
ominously  gathering,  burst  in  its  full  fury  upon  France. 
Every  day  announced  to  Xapoleon  the  defection  of  an  ancient 
ally,  and  every  day  the  ranks  of  his  enemies  were  swelled  by 
the  diminution  of  his  own  forces.     The  utmost  prodigies  of 


356  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

valor  were  unable  to  save  his  country  from  invasion,  and  the 
capital  itself  was  threatened  by  the  hostile  armies. 

Hortense,  who  had  promptly  returned  to  her  mother  at 
Navarre,  read  with  painful  anxiety  the  bulletins  of  the  French 
army,  and  listened  eagerly  to  the  reports  of  the  expresses. 
The  unhappy  Josephine,  more  attached  to  her  husband  now 
that  fortune  was  false,  shed  bitter  tears  over  the  sad  fulfilment 
of  her  predictions.  At  length  she  received  despatches  from 
a  sovereign,  who  had  once  courted  the  friendship  of  Napoleon, 
and  had  deemed  himself  honored  when  treated  as  his  equal. 
Times  had  indeed  altered  :  we  characterize  the  change  almost 
in  a  word,  when  we  add  that  the  wife  and  daughter  of  the 
emperor  were  reduced  to  avail  themselves  of  his  protection 
as  an  enemy  and  a  conqueror.  Paris  had  capitulated  :  the 
armies  of  the  allies  were  encamped  in  her  squares,  and  their 
chiefs  lodged  in  her  palaces  :  while  Napoleon,  with  his  forces 
reduced  to  a  handful  of  veterans,  had  abdicated  the  throne 
at  Fontaiubleau,  and  was  retiring  to  his  empire  of  Elba. 

In  the  letter  of  Alexander,  the  language  of  a  victor  was 
studiously  disguised  under  the  forms  of  the  most  delicate 
courtesy.  He  was  so  anxious  to  see  the  empress  Josephine 
and  her  daughter,  that  he  entreated  them  to  return  to  Mal- 
raaison,  unless  they  preferred  receiving  an  early  visit  at 
Navarre.  As  an  acknowledgement  of  this  politeness,  the 
mother  set  out  immediately:  but  Hortense  had  duties  to  per- 
form towards  Maria  Louisa,  whom  she  still  regarded  as  her 
sovereign.  The  powerful  protection  tendered  to  her  mother, 
removed  all  anxiety  on  that  account ;  and  it  was  therefore 
incumbent  on  her  to  calm  the  apprehensions  and  share  the 
perils  of  the  second  consort  of  Napoleon.  She  accordingly 
repaired  to  Rambouillet,  where  Maria  Louisa,  guarded  by 
the  forces  of  the  coalition,  was  awaiting  her  future  lot.  It 
was  speedily  determined  ;  and  when  she  had  set  out  for 
Vienna  with  an  Austrian  escort,  Hortense  returned  to  her 
mother  at  Malmaison.  Here  Josephine  appeared  to  have 
revived  her  ancient  court  of  the  Tuilleries.     The  more  inti- 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  357 

mately  she  became  known  to  the  allied  monarchs,  the  more 
she  was  admired  and  respected ;  and  the  arrival  of  her 
daughter  increased  the  attentions  of  these  illustrious  visitors. 
Grace  and  amiability  were  hereditary  in  this  family  ;  their 
triumphs  were  surer,  milder,  and  more  rapid  than  the  con- 
quests of  Napoleon. 

The  solicitude  of  the  allied  monarchs  for  the  future  welfare 
of  Hortense,  was  an  immediate  consequence  of  the  interest 
she  had  inspired  "  Remark,"  said  they,  "  with  what  ease  an 
enlightened  people  can  abandon  a  chief  who  has  raised  them 
to  such  a  pitch  of  power  and  glory.  The  military  alone  ex- 
hibit the  least  regret :  all  the  rest  rejoice  in  the  change, 
though  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  foresee  its  results.  Observe 
all  those  courtiers  eagerly  crowding  about  the  restored 
dynasty  I  But  yesterday,  they  were  prodigal  of  the  most 
solemn  oaths  of  attachment  to  Napoleon  :  to-day,  they  pre- 
tend to  have  always  hated  and  despised  him,  and  win  new 
titles  to  favor  by  bitter  and  scandalous  libels  against  their 
fallen  master.  Believe  us,  princess,  all  the  rare  and  noble 
endowments  which  Heaven  has  lavished  on  you,  will  not 
suffice  to  fix  the  affections  of  the  people  :  a  power  superior 
to  the  storms  of  revolutions,  is  the  only  safeguard  against 
their  fickleness  and  inconstancy. "  Her  august  friends  pressed 
her  with  these  reasons  to  accept  an  independent  sovereignty. 

The  philosophy  of  Hortense  had  been  acquired  in  the 
school  of  misfortune,  but  it  bore  no  similarity  to  that  incul- 
cated by  these  clear  sighted  sovereigns.  The  obscurity  of 
retirement  seemed  to  her  a  yet  safer  asylum  against  the  revo- 
lutions of  kingdoms  and  the  caprices  of  the  people  :  but  she 
had  children,  born  in  the  purple,  and  brought  up  amidst  the 
homage  and  respect  of  the  highest  dignitaries  of  the  empire. 
The  first  impressions  of  education  exercise  an  unconquerable 
influence  over  all  the  actions  of  life  :  those  to  whom  grandeur 
was  a  birthright,  can  never  endure  mediocrity  or  obscurity, 
unless  endowed  with  more  greatness  of  soul  than  commonly 
falls  to  the  lot  of  mortals.     Hortense,  therefore,  yielded  to 


358  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  dictates  of  maternal  tendernesss,  in  accepting  for  her 
children  what  was  to  her  a  subject  of  indifference ;  but  she 
still  displayed  her  moderation,  in  taking  much  less  than  had 
been  originally  offered.  At  the  request  of  the  allied  sove- 
reigns, Louis  XVIII.  erected  St.  Leu  into  a  duchy  for  her 
advantage,  with  the  right  of  inheritance  vested  in  her  children. 

The  allied  monarchs  were  equally  anxious  to  confer  a 
Bimilar  favor  upon  Josephine.  She  thanked  them,  but  con- 
stantly refused  ;  with  an  indifference  to  power  that  seemed 
almost  a  presentiment  of  the  early  fate  which  removed  her 
from  her  children  and  her  friends.  Her  health  had  been  so 
deeply  undermined  by  the  shock  and  affliction  caused  by  the 
overthrow  of  the  empire,  that  an  indisposition,  apparently 
trifling,  became  serious,  and  in  a  few  days  terminated  in 
death.  The  spring  is  always  damp  at  Paris  ;  but  Malmaison, 
the  empress's  residence,  being  situated  on  the  northern  face 
of  a  hill  and  surrounded  with  woods,  has  more  than  its  share 
of  the  general  humidity.  Josephine  had  been  confined  to  her 
bed  for  several  days,  by  an  attack  of  sore  throat.  The  king 
of  Prussia  paid  her  a  visit  to  inquire  after  her  health,  and 
she  imagined  herself  sufficiently  well  to  rise  and  receive  him. 
Alarming  symptoms  appeared  the  same  evening ;  the  next 
day,  the  best  of  women,  the  mildest  of  queens,  and  the  most 
affectionate  of  mothers  and  wives  ceased  to  exist. 

It  was  now  the  second  of  June,  1814  :  during  four  days, 
heaven,  earth,  and  mankind,  had  been  alike  sad :  for  four 
days  had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  Josephine  had  deprived 
humanity  of  its  ornament  and  poverty  of  its  protectress. 
Every  road  from  Paris  to  Ruel  and  its  environs  was  crowded 
with  trains  of  mourners.  The  indigent  were  not  here  alone 
. — there  are  other  misfortunes  besides  poverty.  Sad  groups 
thronged  all  the  avenues,  and  I  could  distinguish  tears  even 
in  the  splendid  equipages  which  came  rattling  across  tne 
court  yard. 

From  the  fatal  day  of  Josephine's  death,  until  the  2d  of 
June,  the  time  appointed  for  the  funeral,  more  than  twenty 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  359 

thousand  persons  beheld  her  for  the  last  time.  I  do  not  in- 
clude the  inquisitive  stragglers,  who  availed  themselves  of 
this  opportunity  to  obtain  a  sight  of  Malmaison  ;  and  who, 
after  making  a  slight  obeisance  to  the  state-bed,  immediately 
inquired  the  way  to  the  great  Conservatory,  or  went  off 
laughing  to  tease  the  wild  beasts.  A  far  greater  number  came 
to  weep  over  the  body  of  the  empress,  and  kneeling,  to  offer 
their  prayers  for  the  repose  of  her  soul.  They  visited  with 
veneration  the  shrubberies  she  had  planted,  the  fields  she  had 
tilled,  and  the  plants  watered  by  her  own  hands  :  while  ad- 
miring her  works,  they  seemed  to  enjoy  a  secret  pleasure,  in 
the  very  increase  of  regret.  The  young  girls  who  had  repaired 
to  the  melancholy  spot,  wept  bitterly  when  they  remembered 
the  happy  marriages  of  their  associates,  for  whom  the  kind- 
ness of  the  empress  had  removed  the  opposition  of  interest. 
Old  men  sighed  over  their  lost  pensions,  and  the  little  enjoy- 
ments they  had  procured  :  while  many  a  mother  shed  tears  in 
grateful  recollection  of  the  conscript  son,  restored  by  the 
bounty  of  Josephine,  who  had  removed  him  from  active  ser- 
vice, obtained  his  discharge,  or  hired  the  substitute.  Even 
strangers  accosted  each  other  to  relate  some  trait  honorable 
to  her  memory.  Grief,  the  great  peace  maker,  reconciled 
many  enemies  on  this  solemn  occasion,  when  everything  was 
forgotten  but  the  charity  of  her  whom  all  lamented.  Those 
who  spoke  of  her  soon  felt  the  return  of  mutual  kindness,  for 
how  could  any  one  refuse  forgiveness,  near  the  tomb  of  her 
who  had  pardoned  so  much  ?  Thus  her  very  memory  was  aa 
powerful  as  her  presence.  The  body  of  Josephine  was  laid 
out  on  a  state-bed,  surrounded  with  numerous  tapers,  in  an 
antechamber  leading  into  the  room  where  she  died.  The 
antechamber  was  hung  with  black,  without  cyphers  or  escut- 
cheons :  on  the  right  of  the  entrance  stood  an  altar,  sur- 
rounded with  chairs  and  sofas.  The  face  of  the  corpse  was 
covered  with  a  cambric  handkerchief,  as  it  lay  under  the 
charge  of  two  officiating  clergymen  belonging  to  the  neigti- 


360  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

boring  villages,  together  with  the  curate  of  Ruel,  and  four 
domestics. 

The  solemn  tolling  of  the  bells  of  all  the  neighboring 
parishes  summoned  the  faithful  to  pay  the  tribute  of  gratitude 
at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  The  funeral  took  place  at  noon, 
w'+h  the  greatest  pomp,  in  the  modest  little  church  of  the 
village  of  Ruel,  belonging  -to  the  parish  of  Malmaison. 
The  pall-bearers  were  the  Grand  Duke  of  Baden,  the  husband 
of  Stephanie  de  Beauharnois,  Josephine's  niece;  the  Marquis 
de  Beauharnois,  brother-in-law  to  the  empress,  and  formerly 
ambassador  to  Spain  ;  her  nephew,  the  Count  de  Tascher ; 
and,  I  believe,  the  Count  de  Beauharnois,  gentleman  in 
waiting  of  Maria  Louisa. 

The  funeral  train  left  Malmaison  by  the  iron  gate,  and 
followed  the  high  road  as  far  as  Ruel.  General  Sacken,  who 
represented  the  emperor  of  Russia,  and  the  adjutant-general 
of  the  king  of  Prussia,  on  the  part  of  his  master,  walked  on 
foot  at  the  head  of  the  procession,  followed  by  a  number  of 
foreign  princes,  marshals  of  France,  generals,  and  other 
Freuch  officers.  Then  came  the  banners  of  the  various  trades 
of  the  parish,  with  twenty  young  girls  in  white,  chanting 
psalms  :  while  two  thousand  mendicants  of  all  ages  brought 
up  the  rear.  The  whole  route  was  lined  with  Russian  hussars, 
and  the  National  Guards. 

General  Sacken  was  the  bearer  of  a  message  from  his  sove- 
reign, to  the  relatives  of  the  empress  assembled  at  Malmaison, 
expressing  his  wish  to  devote  the  thirty-six  hours  he  had  yet 
to  remain  in  Paris,  exclusively  to  the  excellent  prince  Eugene 
and  his  sister,  as  a  testimony  of  deep  affliction  at  the  death 
of  her  majesty.  The  emperor,  in  fact,  never  quitted  them 
until  he  set  out  for  his  dominions. 

Upwards  of  four  thousand  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring 
districts,  are  understood  to  have  assembled  for  the  purpose 
of  paying  a  parting  homage  to  the  memory  of  a  princess, 
who  had  so  justly  earned  the  title  of  mother  of  the  poor  and 
of  the  afflicted.     Mass  was  celebrated  by  M.  de  Barrel,  arch 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  361 

bishop  of  Tours,  her  chief  almoner,  assisted  by  the  bishops 
of  Evreux  and  Versailles  :  after  the  gospel,  he  pronounced  a 
short  but  affecting  funeral  oration. 

The  body  of  Josephine1  was  placed  in  a  leaden  coffin, 
enclosed  in  one  of  wood,  which  was  temporarily  deposited  in 
that  part  of  the  cemetery  containing  the  remains  of  three 
hundred  persons  crushed  to  death  in  the  Rue  Royale,  in 
returning  from  the  exhibition  of  fire-works,  in  the  Place  Louis 
XV.  in  honor  of  the  marriage  of  Louis  XVI.  and  Marie 
Antoinette. 

On  reaching  the  burial-ground,  Hortense,  who  had  pre- 
viously remained  in  one  of  the  chapels  of  the  church  of  Ruel, 
threw  herself  upon  her  mother's  grave,  to  which  she  clung 
as  if  distracted,  until  forcibly  removed  from  the  melancholy 
spot. 

The  ceremonies  lasted  until  five  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
The  whole  household  of  the  illustrious  deceased  were  bathed 
in  tears  ;  many  strangers  who  were  present,  and  who  had  only 
become  acquainted  with  her  since  the  restoration,  wept  in 
common  with  those  whom  she  had  blessed  or  comforted. 

I  had  no  wish  to  witness  this  spectacle  :  it  was  melancholy, 
with  no  accompanying  consolation.  Whilst  the  general 
sorrow  was  publicly  expressed,  mine  was  indulged  in  a 
different  manner.  I  wandered  among  bowers  planted  by  the 
hands  of  Josephine  herself,  and  through  their  branches  I 
looked  out  upon  the  fields  she  had  cultivated  and  the  cottages 
she  had  built.  Even  this  sad  delight,  and  the  very  shade 
which  sheltered  me,  were  all  her  work.    Near  me  on  the  road, 

1  The  body  of  Josephine  reposes  under  a  magnificent  tomb  of  white 
marble,  erected  by  her  children.  She  is  represented  in  her  imperial 
robes,  kneeling,  and  apparently  praying  for  the  welfare  of  France. 
•'Eugene  and  Hortense  to  Josephine,"  is  the  only  inscription.  This 
beautiful  monument  stands  in  a  side  chapel,  and  is  the  work  of  that 
excellent  sculptor,  M.  Cartelier.  I  cannot  tell  whether  criticism  has 
ever  discovered  any  fault:  I  have  wept  too  often  over  that  statue  not 
to  believe  it  perfect.  —  Cvunt  de  la  Garde. 
31 


362  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

and  far  across  the  fields,  crowds  were  hurrying  towards  Mal- 
maison  and  Ruel,  whilst  others  were  on  the  return.  They 
met  and  exchanged  a  few  words  :  the  young  girls  shed  tears, 
and  then  went  mourning  on  their  way.  Sometimes  I  caught 
disjointed  sentences  borne  to  me  by  the  wind  :  in  all,  the  name 
of  Josephine  was  pronounced  by  gratitude,  and  her  charity 
commemorated  by  sorrow. 

Above  the  confused  noises  which  re-echoed  over  the  plain, 
came  the  sullen  tolling  of  the  bells,  and  every  breeze  seemed 
charged  with  their  endless  peals.  To  me,  the  wearisome 
monotony  of  the  chiming  brass,  which  knells  alike  for  the 
good  and  the  wicked,  has  ever  appeared  ill-omened.  I  strove 
to  divert  my  attention  by  listening  to  the  twittering  of  the 
birds :  their  concerts  were  occasionally  interrupted,  but  they 
recommenced  their  songs  with  more  subdued  notes  ;  and  there 
was  something  soothing  in  the  sad  thought,  that  from  the 
very  bench  where  I  was  then  seated,  Josephine  had  a  thou- 
sand times  enjoyed  their  music. 

The  brightness  of  the  day  was  obscured  by  dark  clouds 
when  I  arrived  at  the  church.  It  was  hung  with  mourning 
for  its  departed  benefactress.  When  a  crowned  head  falls  at 
the  feet  of  death,  vanity  raises  the  diadem  to  decorate  a 
coffin  :  here  there  was  no  pomp,  no  proud  epitaph,  but  in  the 
midst  of  tears  and  sighs,  a  thousand  voices  repeated  and  ever 
will  repeat  the  name  of  Josephine. 

To  the  name  of  one  so  dear  and  who  soothed  so  many  sor- 
rows, gratitude  would  willingly  add  two  more,  which  a  pru- 
dent sorrow,  it  is  said,  should  carefully  suppress.  On  this 
subject  I  am  equally  ignorant  and  indifferent.  I  can  only 
say  that  grateful  remembrance  acknowledges  no  other  guide 
than  the  dictates  of  affection,  and  that  Eugene  and  Hortense 
are  invoked  alike  with  the  cherished  memory  of  Josephine. 
Can  there  be  any  so  unfeeling  as  to  imagine  tears  formidable, 
or  to  consider  grief  a  crime  ?     Sorrow  never  conspires. 

The  following  portrait  of  Josephine  is  from  the  pen  of  an 
intimate  friend.     Several  years  before  a  sudden  turn  of  the 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  363 

wheel  of  fortune  had  raised  her  to  a  throne,  she  had  attained 
the  utmost  perfection  of  what  was  called  her  beauty :  yet  she 
was  never  strictly  beautiful,  if  to  entitle  a  woman  to  that  dis- 
tinction, regularity  of  feature  must  be  added  to  nobleness  and 
elegance.  A  countenance  animated  by  intelligence,  and 
especially  by  feeling,  is  far  more  captivating  than  the  cold 
perfection  and  symmetry  so  prized  by  artists  in  the  models 
of  antiquity.  To  these  charms  Josephine  had  no  claim  ;  but 
every  emotion  of  her  mind  was  forcibly  and  rapidly  depicted 
by  the  ever  varying  expression  of  her  fascinating  face.  It 
was  the  mirror  of  her  heart,  adorned  by  every  grace,  and 
reflecting  that  general,  benevolence,  which  seeks  in  every 
suffering  creature  another  subject  for  consolation  and  relief. 

Her  benevolence,  the  leading  trait  in  her  character,  was  in 
truth  universal.  The  same  hand  which  lavished  bounties 
without  stint  and  sometimes  without  reflection,  caressed  a 
suffering  animal,  or  sought  to  revive,  by  cultivation,  a 
withered  and  drooping  plant.  Her  feelings  of  charity  suffered 
no  change  from  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune.  When  almost 
indigent  at  Fontainbleau,  a  strict  economy  enabled  her  to 
assist  others  yet  more  destitute  than  herself;  while  as  an 
empress  and  a  sovereign,  her  benevolence  became  as  splendid 
as  her  prosperity. 

A  heart  so  affectionate  was  indeed  worthy  of  affection. 
When  imperial  France  in  the  pride  of  victory  beheld  captive 
Europe  at  her  feet,  she  bestowed  on  Napoleon  the  title  of 
"great:"  a  medal  struck  to  Josephine  the  beneficent,  pro- 
claims the  milder  fame  of  the  empress.  Except  Stanislaus 
and  herself,  I  know  but  few  sovereigns  who  have  been  tempted 
to  deserve  a  similar  surname  —  one,  indeed,  not  to  be  gained 
by  pensions  heaped  upon  the  minions  of  a  court,  but  by  acts 
of  heavenly  charity,  done  ill  the  cottage  of  the  poor,  and  near 
the  sick  bed  of  the  unfortunate. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  all  that  will  survive  of  Josephine 
—  the  envelope  of  so  pure  a  soul  may  be  described  in  a  few 
words.     It  is  pleasing  to  see  a  woman  at  once  estimable  and 


364  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

beautiful,  and  I  have  already  said  that  in  either  point  of  view 
there  was  nothing  wanting  in  Josephine.  Yoltaire  himself, 
like  the  court  poets  who  were  the  plagiarists  of  his  panegyric, 
would  have  applied  to  her,  as  he  did  to  the  Marchioness  de 
Yillette,  the  famous  epithet  of  Fair  and  Good. 

Her  figure  was  of  the  ordinary  height,  but  beautifully 
modelled.  Every  motion  was  marked  by  that  pliant  ease 
which  was  equally  suited  to  the  graceful  attitude  which 
painters  love  to  represent  in  Yenus,  or  to  the  dignified  de- 
meanor befitting  the  majesty  of  a  queen.  A  constant  change- 
fulness  gave  to  her  countenance,  even  when  agitated  by 
sorrow,  an  expression  ever  new  and  always  attractive.  Her 
eyes  were  large,  deep  blue,  and  shaded  by  slightly  curved 
eye-lashes :  the  color  of  her  hair,  between  dark  and  light, 
harmonized  exactly  with  the  tint  of  her  complexion.  All 
who  have  heard  Josephine  converse,  and  especially  those  who 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  hear  her  sing,  must  preserve  a  pleasing 
remembrance  of  the  soft  and  winning  tones  of  her  voice. 
"Without  much  compass  and  almost  without  art,  (although  she 
was  a  good  musician,)  the  sounds  possessed  that  tremulous 
melody  which  chords  so  well  with  the  feelings  of  the  listener 
The  notes  were  scarcely  above  mediocrity,  but  the  accents 
came  from  the  heart  and  found  the  heart.  While  she  was 
seated  on  the  throne,  her  performance  on  the  harp  and  piano 
was  the  theme  of  universal  praise  :  it  is  true,  however,  that 
there  are  few  queens,  who,  at  least  in  their  lives,  have  not 
enjoyed  a  reputation  for  virtue  and  talent.  The  abilities  of 
Josephine  appeared  perhaps  to  less  advantage  in  the  empress 
than  in  Madame  Bonaparte  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  none 
could  surpass  the  virtues  she  displayed  in  imperial  sovereignty. 

Besides  these  agreeable  accomplishments,  Josephine  pos- 
sessed more  solid  acquirements.  She  understood  botany 
thoroughly ;  her  taste  for  this  favorite  study  erected  the 
magnificent  conservatories  of  Malmaison,  which  honor  her 
memory  almost  as  much  as  her  pensions  to  the  indigent. 
When  her  divorce  had  dispelled  the  magic  dream  of  power, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  365 

and  an  abdication  had  exhibited  the  vanity  of  greatness,  she 
found  consolation  in  the  sight  of  her  beautiful  exotics, 
warmed,  even  in  exile,  by  their  native  sun.  The  imperial 
purple  was  replaced  by  a  plain  dress  of  muslin  ;  while  the 
brow  which  once  had  glittered  with  royal  jewels  was  still 
erowned,  but  it  was  now  with  a  simple  diadem  of  roses  and 
violets. 

At  the  first  intelligence  of  his  mother's  illness,  Eugene  set 
ont  instantly  from  Munich,  where  he  had  been  welcomed  by 
his  father-in-law,  the  king  of  Bavaria ;  but  he  arrived  only 
in  time  to  pay  her  the  last  honors,  and  to  weep  with  Hortense 
over  her  tomb.  We  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  their  afflic- 
tion. As  a  mother,  no  one  was  ever  more  affectionate  than 
Josephine,  or  more  deserving  of  love ;  as  children,  Hortense 
and  Eugene  were  every  way  worthy  of  their  parent,  and  none 
could  feel  more  deeply  a  similar  calamity. 

As  etiquette  required  the  son-in-law  of  a  reigning  monarch 
to  wait  on  the  king  of  France  in  passing  through  Paris, 
Eugene  paid  a  visit  to  Louis  XVIII.,  after  the  expiration  of 
the  time  prescribed  for  the  observances  of  grief.  He  was 
unwilling  on  this  occasion,  either  to  style  himself  a  German 
prince,  or  to  assume  any  title  recalling  the  days  of  the  em- 
pire :  with  characteristic  modesty  and  true  French  feeling  he 
was  therefore  simply  announced  as  General  Beauharnois.  He 
expressed  his  thanks  to  the  king  for  the  kind  treatment  ex- 
tended to  his  mother  by  the  allied  monarchs,  and  for  the 
favors  they  had  conferred  upon  his  sister. 

Hortense  was  under  a  still  greater  obligation  of  gratitude 
towards  Louis,  and  she  consequently  paid  her  respects  to  him 
on  quitting  her  mourning.  Both  parties  to  this  interview 
enjoyed  a  great  reputation  for  conversational  talent,  although 
the  style  of  each  was  extremely  different.  The  wit  of  the 
king  was  academic,  and  its  far-fetched  refinement  was  con- 
stantly perceptible  through  the  formal  politeness  of  a  court. 
Hortense,  on  the  contrary,  is  ever  frank  and  unaffected  :  her 
Bemibility  lends  its  hue  to  every  thought,  and  her  goodness 
31* 


366  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

of  heart  is  expressed  in  every  sentiment.  The  labor  of  dis- 
play and  the  coquetry  were  all  on  the  part  of  the  king,  foi 
Hortense  had  only  to  be  herself  to  triumph  in  this  little  con- 
test. Louis,  however,  acquired  some  advautage,  from  his 
loud  commendation  of  the  merit  of  the  princess  with  whom 
he  had  thus  become  acquainted.  In  a  Bourbon,  this  praise 
of  a  member  of  the  imperial  family  was  almost  magnanimity  ; 
but  while  full  justice  was  rendered  him  for  the  feeling,  the 
courtiers  and  Parisians  took  care  to  add  that  he  had  turned 
a  rank  Bonapartist. 

The  discontent  of  the  partisans  of  Napoleon  at  the  conduct 
of  Hortense,  though  more  suppressed,  was  much  more 
enduring.  They  admitted  no  excuse  for  her  visit  to  the  king, 
for  they  could  never  forgive  its  reason.  The  article  in  the 
treaty  of  Fontainbleau,  erecting  the  Duchy  of  St.  Leu,  was 
to  them  conclusive  proof  that  the  daughter  of  Napoleon 
wished  to  separate  herself  from  the  cause,  and  even  from  the 
remembrance  of  her  father  :  they  would  never  listen  to  the 
real  motives  we  have  already  explained.  Party  spirit  is 
strangely  inconsistent :  its  approbation  or  its  silence  must  be 
purchased  by  sacrifices,  and  yet  these  are  only  rewarded  with 
obscurity  and  contempt. 

Louis  Napoleon  was  by  no  means  the  last  to  attack  the 
conduct  of  Hortense  :  perhaps,  indeed,  he  was  only  taking 
advantage  of  her  present  unpopularity,  to  realize  a  scheme 
projected  long  before.  A  formal  separation  from  bed  and 
board  already  existed  :  he  now  claimed  the  possession  of  his 
eldest  son  —  a  claim  of  course  refused  by  Hortense.  The 
affair  was  referred  to  a  legal  tribunal,  where  it  was  still 
pending,  when  the  news  reached  Paris  of  the  landing  of  Na- 
poleon at  Cannes.  We  may  easily  imagine  that  under  such 
circumstances,  all  farther  proceedings  were  suspended.  The 
great  arbiter  soon  arrived  in  his  capital. 

Napoleon,  hailed  everywhere  by  the  people,  and  by  the 
very  troops  despatched  to  oppose  him,  had  reconquered 
France  in  traversing  it :  on  the  20th  March,  1815,  without 


OF    NaPOLEON    III.  361 

striking  a  blow,  he  took  possession  of  the  Tuilleries.  Hor- 
tense  immediately  requested  an  interview  ;  moved  by  affection, 
for  her  adopted  father,  and  anxiety  to  dispel  the  prejudices 
raised  against  her  in  his  mind.  The  emperor  at  first  refused 
to  see  her,  but  she  persisted  in  her  demand,  feeling  that  every 
embarrassment  would  be  well  compensated  by  an  interview 
with  a  beloved  relative.  Napoleon  at  length  received  her; 
but  it  was  with  that  stern  look,  severe  eye,  and  frowning 
brow  —  with  that  aspect  of  Jupiter  Tonans  —  which  inspired 
more  terror  than  even  the  reproaches  pronounced  by  his  lips. 
Strong  in  conscious  innocence,  the  queen  listened  without 
impatience,  and  vindicated  herself  without  difficulty.  Napo- 
leon at  length  became  convinced  that  there  was  no  treachery 
in  submission  to  events  which  could  neither  be  foreseen  nor 
controlled — no  defection  in  natural  anxiety  for  the  welfare  of 
her  children,  and  in  a  residence  in  France  when  assured  of  a 
harsh  reception  everywhere  else.  He  admitted  that  to  return 
civility  for  kindness  was  not  a  fault — that  there  was  no  crime 
in  showing  gratitude  to  sovereigns  who  had  given  protection, 
when  they  might  have  exercised  injustice  and  tyranny  without 
a  possibility  of  resistance  or  escape.  In  political  revolutions, 
the  obligations  of  a  mother  and  a  woman  are  far  different 
from  those  of  a  man.  The  firmness  of  the  latter,  supported 
by  native  energy  of  mind  and  body,  is  recompensed  by  glory  ; 
while  none  but  milder  duties  remain  to  the  humble  and  modest 
female. 

Louis  Napoleon  abstained  from  a  personal  appearance  as 
the  adversary  of  his  consort ;  contenting  himself  with  despatch- 
ing an  envoy  from  Rome  with  full  powers.  His  deep  anxiety 
was  declared  for  a  complete  reconciliation  with  his  brother, 
whom  he  had  never  seen  since  the  abdication  of  the  crown 
of  Holland  ;  but  the  condition  was  annexed  that  a  divorce 
from  his  wife  should  be  permitted.  As  divorces  had  been 
formally  abolished  in  1814,  the  tribunal  having  cognisance 
of  the  suit  for  the  possession  of  his  eldest  son,  could  entertain 
no  proceedings  of  that  nature  :  he  believed  this,  however,  an 


368  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

excellent  opportunity  for  the  complete  execution  of  his  favorite 
project.  The  emperor  received  the  individual  charged  with 
this  mission,  in  a  manner  worthy  of  himself.  "Let  Louis," 
said  he,  "come  when  he  will  :  he  shall  be  well  received,  for 
he  is  my  brother.  As  for  his  divorce,  it  is  a  mere  whim, 
which  I  could  not  indulge  even  if  our  family  contract  was  not 
diametrically  opposed  to  it."     Louis  remained  at  Rome. 

As  soon  as  Hortense  had  regained  the  esteem  and  affections 
of  her  father,  she  renewed  her  ancient  habits  of  benevolence 
under  the  sanction  of  imperial  authority.  The  Duchess  of 
Orleans,  a  princess  of  the  blood-royal,  had  broken  a  limb  in 
attempting  a  precipitate  flight  from  Paris  on  the  arrival  of 
the  emperor.  The  solicitations  of  Hortense  procured  a  per- 
mission for  her  residence  in  the  capital,  with  a  pension 
suitable  to  the  high  station  she  had  lost ;  and  under  the  same 
auspices,  a  like  favor  was  accorded  to  her  daughter  the 
Duchess  of  Bourbon.  She  interceded  much  longer,  though 
with  unequal  success,  for  a  less  illustrious  personage,  the 
Baron  de  Vitrolles.  His  only  crime  was  that  of  ardent  de- 
votion to  an  unfortunate  family ;  and  the  emperor  could  now, 
better  than  any  one  else,  appreciate  the  merit  of  such  an 
attachment ;  but  he  knew  also  that  the  baron  had  other  claims 
to  the  gratitude  of  the  Bourbons,  and  he  was  deaf  to  all  the 
entreaties  of  Hortense. 

The  news  of  the  return  of  Napoleon  startled  the  congress 
assembled  at  Vienna  to  partition  his  empire.  A  strong  pro- 
test, issued  against  his  fresh  occupation  of  the  throne,  was 
followed  by  the  immediate  march  of  the  armies  of  the  allies. 
The  troops  of  Prussia  and  the  English  forces  occupying  Bel- 
gium, from  their  proximity  to  France,  naturally  formed  the 
vanguard  of  the  coalition.  Napoleon  hastily  assembled  an 
army,  which  was  less  formidable  from  its  numbers  than  from 
the  ability  and  fame  of  the  leader.  By  rapid  marches,  the 
junction  of  the  Prussians  and  English  was  anticipated,  and 
victory  smiled  for  an  instant  before  departing  for  ever  The 
fatal  rout  of  Waterloo  then  hurried  along  Napoleon  and  the 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  369 

wrecks  of  his  guard,  involving  infantry,  cavalry,  artillery, 
and  baggage,  in  one  mass  of  hopeless  confusion.  Many 
officers  and  soldiers  perished  by  their  own  hands,  rather  than 
survive  so  fearful  a  disaster.  Great  numbers  of  the  wounded 
were  preserved  from  Prussian  barbarity  by  the  humanity  and 
friendship  of  the  Belgians.  The  despair  of  the  survivors 
who  followed  the  retreat  of  Napoleon  towards  Paris,  can 
only  be  compared  to  the  glory  they  had  won  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  battle  until  the  close  of  the  day.  They 
resembled  a  funeral  procession,  as  they  stole  silently  from  that 
bloody  field  which  had  twice  resounded  with  their  shout  of 
victory.  Every  French  soldier  seemed  a  hero  weeping  over 
his  country  and  her  triumphs.  The  staff  reached  Jemappes, 
where  a  vain  attempt  was  made  to  rally  the  means  of  defence. 
The  very  carriage  of  Napoleon  had  been  lost,  and  a  small 
wagon  bore  the  victim  of  Waterloo  to  Philippeville,  where 
he  found  the  equipage  of  Marshal  Soult.  He  entered  a 
caleche  with  General  Bertrand,  who  was  destined  never  to 
leave  him,  until  he  had  closed  his  eyes  at  the  distance  of  three 
thousand  miles  from  France. 

The  allies  had  gained  a  great  battle  ;  but  this  first  tre- 
mendous disaster  might  yet  have  been  repaired,  had  Napoleon 
found  followers  at  Paris  sincerely  disposed  to  second  his 
exertions.  Fouchd,  however,  whom  he  had  imprudently 
created  a  minister,  busily  excited  the  partisans  of  the  Bour- 
bons :  while  on  the  other  hand  the  representative  chamber, 
jealous  of  the  emperor's  authority,  thwarted  all  his  measures, 
assumed  the  supreme  control,  and  engaged  in  interminable 
debates  while  the  enemy  were  at  the  very  gates  of  the  capital. 
The  republican  opposition  was  strengthened  by  a  great  body 
of  royalists,  who  were  not  long  in  throwing  off  the  mask. 
Napoleon  was  forced  to  a  second  abdication  far  more  painful 
than  the  first;  for  it  was  now  his  own  subjects  who  hurled 
him  from  the  throne,  and  threatened  his  very  existence.  A 
rapid  succession  of  political  concussions  had  awakened  all 

Y 


370  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

those  evil  passions,  which  in  times  of  anarchy  always  rage 
without  restraint. 

The  emperor,  after  laying  down  his  authority,  retired  to 
Mahnaison.  The  provisional  government,  to  whom  he  was 
yet  formidable,  converted  his  asylum  into  a  prison,  and  ap- 
pointed a  jailor  in  the  person  of  General  Beker,  an  officer 
who  owed  his  rank  to  Napoleon,  and  discharged  the  painful 
duties  imposed  on  him  with  all  possible  respect  for  his  former 
master.  He  was  consoled  by  the  reflection,  that  in  fulfilling 
the  instructions  of  the  provisional  government,  he  in  reality 
protected  the  emperor  from  attempts  upon  his  life.  There 
was  now  this  singular  difference  between  Malmaison  and  other 
prisons,  that  it  was  more  difficult  to  enter  than  to  leave  it. 

The  gates  opened,  however,  to  admit  Hortense,  or  rather 
she  arrived  at  the  same  time  with  the  illustrious  captive.  If 
Napoleon  had  not  already  appreciated  her  unbounded  kind- 
ness and  affection,  he  had  here  abundant  proof  of  their  ex- 
istence and  sincerity.  Could  anything  have  enabled  him  to 
forget  the  extent  of  his  misfortunes,  or  have  interrupted  the 
sad  current  of  reflection  on  his  own  probable  fate,  and  the 
future  destinies  of  France,  it  must  have  been  the  presence  of 
this  angelic  woman.  Her  ingenuity  was  unceasingly  employed 
in  devising  new  amusements  to  divert  his  mind  ;  her  compas- 
sion found  tears  for  irremediable  evils  ;  her  sympathy  shared 
the  weight  of  affliction  ;  while  her  enthusiasm  roused  his 
genius,  by  pointing  to  the  glorious  perspective,  when  his  ex- 
ploits would  be  recorded  in  the  brightest  pages  of  history  for 
the  admiration  of  all  posterity. 

Hortense  would  certainly  have  been  excusable  if  she  had 
directed  a  portion  of  this  admiration  to  herself:  she  might 
justly  have  been  proud  of  the  unbounded  self-devotion 
exhibited  in  defiance  of  the  enemies  of  her  family,  who  were 
sure  to  seek  everywhere  new  food  for  their  unmanly  calumnies. 
The  infamous  libels  in  which  these  slanders  were  circulated, 
had  been  published  after  the  first  restoration,  and  must  have 
been  known  to  Hortense.     She   probably  considered   them 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  371 

unworthy  of  notice,  for  she  was  ever  faithful  to  the  motto  of 
the  arras  of  Holland,  —  "Do  right,  come  what  may." 

The  moment  of  lasting  separation  at  length  arrived. 
Forced  to  abandon  France,  Napoleon  set  out  from  Malraaison 
for  Rochefort,  in  order  to  embark  upon  that  ocean  which  was 
to  bear  him  he  knew  not  whither.  Neither  Hortense  nor 
himself  could  possibly  conjecture  his  destiny;  and  this  uncer- 
tainty alone  was  sufficient  to  render  their  parting  deeply 
afflicting  :  how  much  more  painful  would  it  have  been,  could 
the  queen  have  pictured  to  herself  her  father  falling  into  the 
hands  of  his  enemies,  and  perishing  by  a  lingering  martyrdom 
of  five  years,  in  a  dreadful  climate,  on  a  little  rock  lost  in  the 
midst  of  the  African  ocean. 

The  second  restoration  took  place.  The  government,  filled 
with  old  rancor  and  new  exasperation,  announced  openly  a 
bloody  retribution  ;  while  its  gloomy  distrust  seemed  to  in- 
crease with  the  severity  of  its  measures.  Hortense  was 
included  iu  the  circle  of  suspicion  :  she  was  accused  of  plan- 
ning and  directing  all  the  Bonapartist  contrivances,  though 
they  really  originated  in  the  department  of  police.  The 
Hdministration,  hypocritical  in  its  justice  and  cowardly  in  its 
cruelty,  got  up  daily  some  new  conspiracy,  as  a  pretext  for 
oppression,  and  in  order  to  involve  the  secret  friends  of  the 
imperial  sway.  Injustice  and  suspicion  are  the  proper  attri- 
butes of  weak  and  short-sighted  rulers.  Napoleon  landed  at 
Cannes  —  Hortense  could  alone  have  planned  his  return  :  he 
had  traversed  France,  hurrying  the  whole  nation  in  his  train — • 
Hortense  must  have  poured  out  the  treasures  of  corruption  : 
his  concealed  partisans  were  now  promoting  everywhere 
rebellious  disturbances — it  was  still  the  mysterious  power  of 
Hortense  that  encouraged  and  directed  sedition.  The  same 
absurdity  marked  the  behavior  of  the  congress  of  Vienna 
towards  Eugene,  a  prince  eminently  distinguished  for  his 
frank  and  honorable  conduct.  The  return  of  Napoleon  and 
his  successes  in  France,  were  due  neither  to  the  machinations 
of  a  prince  without  power,  nor  to  the  weak  intrigues  of  a 


372  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

woman  :  instead  of  ascribing  the  origin  of  those  great  events 
to  such  remote  and  inadequate  causes,  we  must  look  for  it  in 
the  shameful  conduct  of  the  congress  itself  towards  the  people 
of  every  nation,  and  in  the  counter-revolutionary  spirit  of  the 
Bourbons  and  their  ministers. 

Hortense,  now  an  object  of  suspicion,  received  orders  to 
quit  France  without  delay,  and  she  accordingly  set  out,  with 
her  children,  from  Malmaison,  on  the  17th  of  July,  1815. 
Her  travelling  companion  was  Prince  Schwartzenberg,  whose 
situation  was  soon  converted  into  that  of  a  protector.  When 
the  party  arrived  at  Dijon,  they  found  the  municipal  authori- 
ties resolved  to  detain  the  princess  as  a  prisoner.  This  act 
was  certainly  an  apparent  disobedience  to  their  superiors  at 
Paris,  who  had  granted  her  a  passport ;  but  perhaps,  they 
were  more  complaisant  in  reality  than  in  seeming.  In  those 
days  of  dark  machinations,  the  higher  powers  frequently  en- 
trusted their  subalterns  with  the  execution  of  odious  measures, 
which,  officially  at  least,  they  affected  to  disavow.  Fortu- 
nately for  Hortense,  this  part  of  Burgundy  was  occupied  by 
Austrian  troops.  Prince  Schwartzenberg  immediately  intro- 
duced himself  to  the  city  authorities,  and  demanded  whether 
he  must  appeal  to  his  soldiers  for  leave  to  proceed  without 
interruption.  Such  arguments  are  irresistible,  and  the  travel- 
lers reached  Geneva  without  further  accident. 

The  dominion  of  France  was  here  at  an  end,  but  the 
troubles  of  Hortense  seemed  only  to  recommence.  Imprison- 
ment was  no  longer  a  subject  of  apprehension,  but  the 
magistracy  would  suffer  neither  a  residence  in  the  city,  nor  a 
prosecution  of  her  journey.  It  was  clear  that  they  wished 
her  to  return  homeward,  where  open  persecution  was  likely 
to  be  her  lot.  The  Genevese,  quite  as  scrupulous  as  the 
French  ministry,  had  no  objection  to  see  those  vexations 
inflicted  by  others,  which  they  were  too  timid  to  take  upon 
themselves. 

Were  such  sentiments  worthy  of  proud  republicanism  ? 
The  union  of  Geneva  to  France  was  their  heavy  subject  of 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  373 

complaint  against  the  emperor ;  but  they  had  received  the 
richest  compensation.  Their  country  had  prospered  beyond 
example  :  the  reputation  of  her  literati  was  extended  by  their 
admission  into  the  institute  of  Paris  :  the  youth  of  the  canton 
had  gained  decorations  and  glory  on  the  field  of  victory : 
titles  of  nobility  had  been  gladly  accepted  by  the  dignitaries 
of  the  republic,  and  the  department  of  the  Leman  —  a  part 
of  the  mighty  empire  of  France  —  enjoyed  far  higher  con- 
sideration than  the  petty  State  of  Geneva — the  most  insignifi- 
cant of  sovereignties,  except  its  sister  commonwealth  of  San 
Marino. 

If  we  concede  the  utmost  extent  of  the  alleged  injury,  it 
was  still  wrong  to  avenge  the  faults  of  Napoleon  upon  an 
innocent  member  of  his  family,  and  above  all,  they  should 
never  have  selected  as  their  victim,  a  female  whose  whole  life 
was  a  continued  stream  of  benevolence,  fertilizing  all  that 
approached  her.  It  was  the  same  enchanting  excellence  of 
character,  that  now  again  extricated  her  from  the  danger  by 
which  she  was  menaced. 

The  malice  of  the  authorities  of  Geneva  was  exhibited 
rather  in  negotiations  than  in  deeds.  It  was  impossible  to 
converse  with  Hortense  for  any  length  of  time,  without  a 
feeling  of  devotion  to  her  service  ;  and  a  short  interview 
converted  the  most  violent  of  the  magistrates  into  penitent 
partisans.  They  assumed  the  responsibility  of  authorizing 
the  continuance  of  her  journey  to  Savoy,  and  afterwards 
excused  this  act  of  simple  justice  by  specious  pretexts  of 
negligence  or  ignorance. 

Hortense  at  length  reached  Aix  in  Savoy,  where  a  friendly 
reception  was  extended  to  her  —  the  first  since  her  departure 
from  Paris.  The  inhabitants  remembered  her  long  stay 
among  them,  her  liberal  charities,  and  the  hospital  she 
had  founded  and  so  munificently  endowed.  If  in  the  course 
of  her  travels  she  had  hitherto  met  nothing  but  persecution 
and  enmity,  here  at  least  were  those  who  had  no  other  senti- 
ments than  peaceful  kindness  and  unaffected  gratitude.  In 
32 


371  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

treating  her  with  all  the  respect  due  to  her  rank  and  misfor- 
tunes, the  magistrates  nobly  expressed  the  feelings  of  the 
inhabitants.  She  was  invited  to  remain  at  Aix,  until  the 
allied  powers  had  designated  her  future  residence. 

But  it  was  decreed  that  henceforth  her  repose  should  be 
constantly  disturbed.  The  calm  and  pleasing  aspect  of  Savoy 
was  suddenly  overshadowed  by  the  same  melancholy  gloom 
which  had  passed  before  her  eyes  after  the  tragical  end  of  her 
dearest  friend  ;  and  the  remembrance  of  that  terrible  calamity 
was  revived  by  another  misfortune,  scarcely  less  afflicting, 
and  wholly  unexpected.  The  suit  of  Louis  Napoleon  for  the 
custody  of  his  eldest  child,  which  had  been  interrupted  by 
the  "hundred  days,"  was  afterwards  resumed  and  carried  to 
a  judgment  in  his  favor.  An  agent  arrived  at  Aix,  furnished 
with  competent  legal  powers,  and  the  queen  was  obliged  to 
submit  to  this  cruel  decree  of  separation. 

The  soul  of  Hortense  had  been  already  steeped  in  misfor- 
tune, but  her  power  of  endurance  seemed  at  length  exhausted. 
When  she  had  embraced  her  son  for  the  last  time,  and  beheld 
the  carriage  depart  that  bore  him  away,  a  deep  despondency 
overwhelmed  her  spirits.  Her  very  existence  became  a  dream, 
and  it  seemed  indifferent  to  her  whether  her  lot  was  to  enjoy 
or  to  suffer,  to  depart  or  to  be  allowed  to  remain,  to  be 
persecuted,  respected,  or  forgotten.  She  scarcely  noticed 
the  reply  of  the  allied  sovereigns,  allowing  her  to  reside  at 
Constance  ;  and  gave  no  orders  whatever  for  her  journey. 
Her  attendants  were  compelled  to  repeat  frequently  in  her 
presence  the  hints  of  the  Savoyard  authorities,  who  were 
exposed  to  the  ill  will  of  their  government  by  her  prolonged 
residence.  Then,  indeed,  the  fear  of  injuring  those  from 
whom  she  had  experienced  nothing  but  kindness,  awakened 
her  from  her  melancholy  lethargy. 

She  traversed  Switzerland  at  the  very  season  when  nature 
assumes  her  most  picturesque  aspect;  sublime  views  or 
smiling  lan&capes  were  constantly  presented  ;  but  she  gazed 
on  them  as  if  her  eyes  were  not  those  of  an  artist,  and  her 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  375 

hands  had  forgotten  their  skill  in  sketching.  Her  imagination 
itself  seemed  torpid,  for  it  rose  to  no  enthusiasm  before  the 
green  valley,  the  magnificent  cascades,  or  even  the  snowy 
domes  of  Mont  Blanc.  Nothing  could  rouse  her  from  this 
fatal  lethargy  but  the  approach  of  danger,  and  such  an  ex- 
citement was  not  long  wanting. 

Being  again  obliged  to  pass  through  the  territory  of  Geneva, 
she  now  met  with  far  less  courtesy  from  the  country  people, 
than  formerly  from  the  citizens  themselves.  She  had  halted 
for  a  short  time  at  a  country-seat,  formerly  her  mother's,  and 
of  course  now  her  own.  Yet  the  sanctity  of  a  private  dwel- 
ling was  disregarded,  and  the  house  surrounded  by  a  party 
of  soldiers.  These  violent  measures  evidently  proceeded  from 
no  pure  motive,  but  the  courage  and  presence  of  mind  of  the 
princess  disconcerted  all  the  plots  of  her  enemies.  She  went 
alone  into  the  midst  of  the  armed  warriors  who  crowded 
around  her  :  many  recognized  her,  for  nearly  all  had  seen 
service  in  the  imperial  armies.  "Behold  me,"  she  exclaimed, 
"I  am  the  daughter  of  Josephine — the  child  of  Napoleon — 
of  him  who  loved  you  so  well  and  led  you  to  glory.  Is  this 
the  crime  of  which  I  am  accused  ?  I  can  never  believe  it. 
Return  to  your  employers  and  thank  them  in  my  name  :  tell 
them  of  my  gratitude  for  the  pleasure  of  being  again  guarded 
by  the  soldiers  of  my  father  and  of  France."  Every  gesture, 
every  word  produced  a  magical  effect  on  the  hearts  of  the 
Genevese  veterans.  Respect,  compassion,  and  admiration 
succeeded  the  low  impulses  of  hate  and  revenge;  until  at 
length,  wholly  overcome,  they  fell  on  their  knees  and  wept  at 
the  feet  of  her  whom  haply  they  had  come  to  assassinate. 

In  travelling  through  the  rest  of  Switzerland,  Hortense 
encountered  other  obstacles  and  accidents  of  a  less  dramatic 
character ;  but  she  at  length  reached  the  territories  of  the 
Grand  Duke  of  Baden,  and  once  again  the  wanderer  breathed 
freely,  as  she  recollected  the  near  connection  between  that 
sovereign  ami  herself.  g 

A  sentiment  of  politeness  iniuced  Hjrtense  to  despatch  a 


376  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

courier  to  the  Grand  Duke,  to  request  permission  to  remain 
in  Baden  :  but  she  felt  so  well  assured  of  his  friendship,  that 
a  simple  notice  of  the  selection  of  his  duchy  for  her  future 
abode  seemed  sufficient.  What  was  her  surprise  when  a 
chamberlain  arrived  with  a  most  courteous  apology  from  his 
master,  who  found  himself,  unfortunately,  unable  to  allow  the 
intended  residence  in  his  dominions.  At  this  period  the  petty 
princes  of  Germany  were  as  much  exasperated  against  Napo- 
leon as  the  Swiss  cantons,  and  in  the  same  spirit  they  sought 
to  gratify  their  vengeance  by  the  persecution  of  his  family. 
Some  also,  like  the  French  municipality  of  Dijon,  endeavored 
to  win  favor  with  their  superiors  by  a  gratuitous  accumula- 
tion of  vexations  ;  but  it  was  still  a  most  extraordinary 
exhibition  of  complaisance,  to  volunteer  this  inquisitorial 
rigor  against  a  near  connection.  It  is  but  just  to  remark  that 
there  were  noble  exceptions  even  among  the  minor  sovereigns  : 
for  honorable  and  gallant  men,  however  confiued  may  be 
their  rule,  can  never  degrade  themselves  into  police  emissaries 
or  subaltern  tyrants. 

The  health  of  Hortense — long  weak  and  precarious  —  had 
suffered  severely  during  this  sad  pilgrimage.  In  these  moun- 
tainous regions,  winter  had  already  commenced  his  reign,  and 
the  inclemency  of  the  elements  was  thus  added  to  the  injustice 
of  man.  Not  only  was  there  an  urgent  necessity  for  stopping 
somewhere,  in  order  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  constant  and 
careful  nursing,  but  her  fatigue  of  body  and  mind  became  so 
extreme,  that  she  was  entirely  unable  to  pursue  her  journey. 
The  season  of  trial,  however,  was  now  fortunately  approach- 
ing its  conclusion.  The  king  of  Bavaria  was  informed  of 
her  critical  situation,  and  immediately  offered  the  wanderer 
an  asylum  in  his  dominions.  Hortense  had  here  the  prospect 
of  remaining  unmolested  for  the  future,  with  the  additional 
pleasure  of  being  near  her  brother,  and  of  frequently  enjoying 
his  society.  Augsburg  was  selected  for  her  habitation,  and 
she  was  residing  in  that  city  in  1819,  when  a  French  gentle- 
man had  the  honor  of  an  introduction.     We  find  in  his  pub- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  377 

lished  travels  in  various  parts  of  Europe,  the  following 
account  of  his  visit. 

"Returning  to  France  in  1819,  after  a  long  residence  in 
Russia,  I  stopped  at  Augsburg,  where  the  Duchess  of  St. 
Leu  was  then  a  resident.  She  had  formerly  set  to  music 
some  romances  of  ray  composition,  and  I  used  this  as  a  pre- 
text for  soliciting  the  honor  of  presentation.  The  obliging 
manner  of  her  prompt  answer  gave  additional  value  to  the 
favor  it  conceded. 

"  I  had  hitherto  only  known  her  by  report.  Some  Russian 
officers  who  had  accompanied  the  Emperor  Alexander  to 
Malmaison  in  1814,  had  spoken  to  me  of  Hortense  with  so 
much  enthusiasm,  that  for  the  first  few  moments,  it  appeared 
as  if  I  saw  her  again  after  a  long  absence,  and  as  if  I  owed 
my  kind  reception  to  the  ties  of  ancient  friendship.  Every- 
thing about  her  is  in  exact  harmony  with  the  angelic  expres- 
sion of  her  face,  her  conversation,  demeanor,  and  the  sweetness 
of  her  voice  and  disposition.  When  she  speaks  of  an  affecting 
incident,  the  language  becomes  more  touching  through  the 
depth  of  her  sensibility  :  she  lends  so  much  life  to  every  scene, 
that  the  auditor  becomes  as  a  witness  of  the  transaction. 
Her  powers  of  delighting  and  instructing  are  alm<^t  magical, 
and  her  artless  fascination  leaves  on  every  heart  those  deep 
traces  which  even  time  can  never  efface. 

"  She  introduced  me  to  her  private  circle,  which  consisted 
of  the  two  children  and  their  tutors — some  old  officers  of  her 
household — two  female  friends  of  her  infancy,  and  that  living 
monument  of  conjugal  devotion,  the  Count  Lavallette.  The 
conversation  soon  became  general.  They  questioned  me 
about  the  Ukraine,  where  I  had  long  resided,  and  Greece  and 
Turkey,  through  which  I  had  lately  travelled.  In  return 
they  spoke  of  Bavaria,  St.  Leu,  the  lake  of  Constance,  and, 
by  degrees,  of  events  deriving  their  chief  interest  from  the 
important  parts  played  by  the  narrators  themselves  We 
dined  at  five.  I  afterwards  accompanied  the  duchess  into  the 
garden,  and  in  the  few  moments  then  enjoyed  of  iutimato 
32* 


378  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

conversation,  I  saw  that  no  past  praises  had  ever  been  ex- 
aggerated. How  admirable  were  her  feelings  when  she 
recalled  the  death  of  her  mother,  and  in  her  tragic  recital  of 
the  death  of  Madame  de  Broc  !  But  when  she  spoke  of  her 
children,  her  brother,  her  friends,  and  the  fine  arts,  her  whole 
figure  seemed  to  glow  with  the  ardor  of  her  imagination  ; 
while  goodness  of  heart  was  displayed  in  every  feature,  and 
gave  additional  value  to  her  other  estimable  qualities.  In 
describing  her  present  situation,  it  was  impossible  to  avoid 
mentioning  her  beloved  France,  the  subject  of  her  constant 
grief.  'You  are  returning,' said  she,  '  to  your  native  coun- 
try :'  and  the  last  word  was  pronounced  with  a  heartfelt  sigh. 
I  had  been  an  exile  from  my  cradle,  yet  my  own  eager  anxiety 
to  revisit  a  birth-place  scarcely  remembered,  enabled  me  to 
estimate  her  grief  at  the  thoughts  of  an  eternal  separation. 
She  spoke  of  the  measures  adopted  for  her  banishment  with 
that  true  resignation  which  mourns  but  never  murmurs. 
After  two  hours  of  similar  conversation,  it  was  impossible  to 
decide  which  was  the  most  admirable  —  her  heart,  her  good 
sense,  or  her  imagination. 

"  We  returned  to  the  drawing-room  at  eight,  where  tea  was 
served.  Tfee  duchess  observed  that  this  was  a  habit  learned 
in  Holland:  'though  you  are  not  to  suppose,'  she  added 
with  a  slight  blush,  '  that  it  is  preserved  as  a  remembrance 
of  days  so  brilliant,  but  now  already  so  distant.  Tea  is  the 
drink  of  cold  climates,  and  I  have  scarcely  changed  my 
temperature. ' 

"Numerous  visitors  came  from  the  neighborhood,  and 
some  even  from  Munich.  She  may  indeed  regard  this  anxious 
attention  with  a  feeling  of  proud  gratification  :  it  is  based 
upon  esteem  alone,  and  as  a  tribute,  is  far  more  honorable 
than  the  tiresome  adulations  of  sycophants  while  at  St. 
Cloud  or  the  Hague.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  we  looked 
through  a  suite  of  rooms,  containing,  besides  a  few  master- 
pieces of  the  different  schools,  a  large  collection  of  precious 
curiosities.     Many  of  these  elegant  trifles  had  once  belonged 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  379 

to  her  mother,  and  nearly  every  one  was  associated  with  the 
remembrance  of  some  distinguished  personage  or  celebrated 
event.  Indeed  her  museum  might  almost  be  called  an 
abridgment  of  contemporary  history.  Music  was  the  next 
amusement,  and  the  duchess  sang,  accompanying  herself  with 
the  same  correct  taste  which  inspires  her  compositions.  She 
had  just  finished  the  series  of  drawings  intended  to  illustrate 
her  collection  of  romances :  how  could  I  avoid  praising  that 
happy  talent  which  thus  persouifies  thought  ?  The  next  day 
I  received  that  beautiful  collection  as  a  remembrance.  Time 
will  render  it  more  precious,  though  I  have  ventured  to  render 
it  less  rare. 

"I  took  my  leave  at  midnight,  perhaps  without  even  the 
hope  of  another  meeting.  I  left  her  as  the  traveller  parts 
from  the  flowers  of  the  desert,  to  which  he  can  never  hope  to 
return.  But  wherever  time,  accident,  or  destiny  may  place 
me,  the  remembrance  of  that  day  will  remain  indelibly  im- 
printed, alike  on  my  memory  and  my  heart.  It  is  pleasing 
to  pay  homage  to  the  fallen  greatness  of  one  like  Hortense, 
who  joins  the  rare  gift  of  talents  to  the  charms  of  the  tenderest 
sensibility." 

It  will  be  remarked  in  this  extract,  that  Hortense  had  found 
again  many  of  the  elements  of  happiness.  Though  not  re- 
united to  her  husband,  his  feelings  towards  her  had  been 
greatly  softened.  He  had  conferred  the  greatest  and  most 
affecting  favor  that  a  mother  can  receive,  by  returning  their 
eldest  son.  Thus  the  current  of  her  life  glided  tranquilly 
along,  in  the  midst  of  all  that  could  console  an  exile.  Her 
children  were  about  her,  and  she  was  surrounded  by  friends  to 
whom  she  was  almost  an  object  of  adoration  :  these,  as  she  was 
wont  to  say,  are  far  greater  blessings  than  the  submission  of 
subjects,  aud  the  pride  of  royalty. 

The  clearing  of  the  political  horizon  now  enabled  Hortense 
to  visit  Rome  and  the  family  of  Napoleon.  Augsburg  is  no 
longer  her  place  of  residence  ;  she  has  selected  in  preference 
a  country-seat  called  Lindau,  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  of 


380  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Constance,  which  is  equivalent  to  saying  that  its  environs  are 
romantic,  and  its  prospects  magnificent.  It  is  here  that  she 
passes  the  summer  months. 

Eugene  and  his  consort  paid  her  frequent  visits,  and  upon 
one  particular  occasion,  their  stay  was  unusually  prolonged. 
The  emperor  of  Austria,  who  had  contracted  a  third  marriage 
with  a  Bavarian  princess,  daughter  of  Maximilian  Joseph, 
came  with  the  empress  to  visit  his  father-in-law.  The  cere- 
monial at  the  reception  of  his  connections  was  of  course 
regulated  by  txermau  etiquette,  and  he  hesitated  in  paying 
the  like  honors  to  the  wife  of  Eugene,  as  to  her  sisters.  No 
doubt  the  same  inflexible  forms  would  have  denied  to  Maria 
Louisa  the  precedence  due  to  her  exalted  rank  ;  and  she  who 
was  once  the  empress  of  the  French  and  queen  of  Italy,  now 
ranked  at  the  Austrian  court  after  the  last  of  the  arch- 
duchesses. The  vice-queen  was  no  sooner  informed  of  the 
scruples  of  Francis,  than  she  availed  herself  of  a  very  simple 
expedient  to  extricate  him  from  embarrassment,  and  herself 
from  unmerited  insult.  She  left  Munich  with  her  husband, 
and  resided  with  Hortense  until  the  departure  of  the  emperor. 

The  constant  attachment  of  this  estimable  princess  to  her 
husband,  was  proved  by  the  violence  of  her  grief,  when  he 
was  shortly  afterwards  carried  off  suddenly  by  a  stroke  of 
apoplexy.  The  loss  of  a  brother,  so  affectionate  and  so 
fondly  loved,  seemed  to  revive  in  the  sensitive  mind  of  Hor- 
tense all  her  old  misfortunes.  Augsburg  and  Munich,  where 
she  had  been  accustomed  to  see  him  constantly,  became  insup- 
portable, and  she  resolved  to  pass  her  winters  elsewhere.  She 
now  visits  alternately  Rome  and  Florence,  always  returning 
in  summer  to  the  banks  of  her  favorite  lake.  It  was  at  Rome, 
and  at  her  country-seat  of  Arenemberg,  that  she  became 
acquainted  with  an  English  lady  of  distinguished  talents,  who 
has  given  us  the  following  sketch  of  the  impressions  received 
from  her  visits. 

"The  Duchess  of  St.  Leu  formed  her  principal  establish- 
ment on  the  banks  of  the  lake  of  Constance,  where  she  was 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  381 

less  exposed  to  the  hateful  system  of  espionage,  and  farther 
removed  from  the  bustle  of  the  great  world  in  which  she  had 
once  reigned  a  queen.     In  this  delightful  retreat,   she  wa3 
accustomed  to  spend  eight  months  of  the  year,  passing  the 
remainder  of  her  time  at  Augsburg  or  Munich  ;  but,  since 
the  death  of  her  brother,  the  painful  remembrances  constantly 
awakened  by  those  cities,  have  induced  her  to  transfer  her 
winter  residence  to  Rome  or  Florence.     The  summer  brings 
her  back  to  Arenemberg,   and  to  the  cheerful  company  of 
many  of  her  dearest  friends,  especially  the  Grand  Duchess 
Stephanie   Beauharnois,    and    Madame   Pasquier,    formerly 
attached  to  the  court  of  Holland.     The  style  of  living  of  the 
Duchess  of  St.  Leu  is  sumptuous,  without  that  freezing  eti- 
quette so  commonly  met  with  in  the  great.     Her  household 
still  call  her  queen,  and  her  son  prince  Napoleon,  or  Louis ; 
but   this  is  a  mere   habit,   preserved   through   respect,  and 
allowed  from  friendship.    The  suite  is  composed  of  two  ladies 
of  honor,  an  equerry,  and  the  tutor  of  her  younger  son.    She 
has  a  numerous  train  of  domestics  ;  and  it  is  among  them 
that  the  traces  are  still  observable  of  by-gone  pretensions, 
long  since  abandoned  by  the  true  nobleness  of  their  mistress. 
The  former  queen  —  the  daughter  of  Napoleon  —  the  mother 
of  the  imperial  heir  apparent  —  the  relative  of  twenty  kings 

has  returned  quietly  to  private  life,  with  the  perfect  grace 

of  a  voluntary  sacrifice. 

"  The  duchess  receives  strangers  with  inexpressible  kind- 
ness :  ever  amiable  and  obliging,  she  is  endowed  with  that 
charming  simplicity  which  inspires  at  first  sight  the  confidence 
of  intimate  affection.  She  is  a  good  listener,  and  remembers 
all  who  have  ever  approached  her :  at  each  successive  inter- 
view you  appear  to  have  made  a  new  advance  in  her  regard. 
A  pointed  word  shows  that  she  has  not  forgotten  the  former 
conversation,  and  you  are  encouraged  to  continue  the  same 
subject  by  questions  expressive  of  interest.  She  speaks  freely 
of  the  brilliant  days  of  her  prosperity  ;  and  history  then  flows 
bo  naturally  from  her  lips,  that  more  may  be  learned  as  a 


382  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

delighted  listener,  than  from  all  the  false  or  exaggerated  works 
so  abundant  everywhere.  The  dethroned  queen  considers 
past  events  from  such  an  eminence,  that  nothing  can  interpose 
itself  between  her  and  the  truth.  This  strict  impartiality 
gives  birth  to  that  true  greatness,  which  is  a  thousand  times 
preferable  to  all  the  splendors  she  lost  in  the  flower  of  her  age. 

"  I  have  been  admitted  to  the  intimacy  of  the  Duchess  of 
St.  Leu,  both  at  Rome  and  in  the  country  :  I  have  seen  her 
roused  to  enthusiasm  by  the  beauties  of  nature,  and  surrounded 
by  the  pomp  of  ceremony  :  but  I  have  never  known  her  less 
than  herself,  nor  has  the  interest  first  inspired  by  her  character 
ever  been  diminished  by  an  undignified  sentiment,  or  the 
slightest  selfish  reflection. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  be  a  more  ardent  and  tasteful  admirer 
of  the  fine  arts  than  the  duchess.  Every  one  has  heard  her 
beautiful  romances,  which  are  rendered  still  more  touching 
by  the  soft  and  melodious  voice  of  the  composer.  She  usually 
sings  standing,  and  although  a  finished  performer  on  the  harp 
and  piano,  she  prefers  the  accompaniment  of  one  of  her 
attendant  ladies.  Many  of  her  leisure  hours  are  employed  in 
painting  :  miniatures,  landscapes  and  flowers  are  equally  the 
subjects  of  her  pencil.  She  declaims  well — is  a  delightful 
player  in  comedy  —  acts  proverbs  with  uncommon  excellence 
— and  I  really  know  no  one  who  can  surpass  her  in  every  kind 
of  needle-work. 

"The  Duchess  of  St.  Leu  never  was  a  regular  beauty,  but 
she  is  still  a  charming  woman.  She  has  the  softest  and  most 
expressive  blue  eyes  in  the  world,  and  her  light  flaxen  hair 
contrasts  beautifully  with  the  dark  color  of  her  long  eyelashes 
and  eyebrows.  Her  complexion  is  fresh  and  of  an  even  tint : 
her  figure  elegantly  moulded  :  her  hands  and  feet  perfect.  In 
fine,  her  whole  appearance  is  captivating  in  the  extreme. 
She  speaks  quickly,  with  rapid  gestures ;  and  all  her  move- 
ments are  easy  and  graceful.  Her  style  of  dress  is  rich, 
though  she  has  parted  with  most  of  her  jewels  and  precious 
stones     Among  the  remaining  ornaments,  I  have  held  in  my 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  383 

hands  the  enormous  chain-work,  which  bound  the  haughty 
standards  of  the  Venetian  republic,  when  they  were  sent  by 
Napoleon  to  Paris,  as  a  pretty  present  for  the  youthful 
Hortense." 

No.  XVII. 

Rivals  of  Napoleon  III.  to  the  throne  of  France.1 
Napoleon  III.  wields  an  uncertain  and  precarious  sceptre. 
No  human  foresight  can  anticipate  or  prevent  the  sudden 
explosion  of  a  convulsion,  by  which  he  and  his  dynasty  may 
be  swept  away  forever.  Should  such  an  event  occur,  at  least 
four  prominent  aspirants  would  be  put  forward  by  their  par- 
tisans as  legitimate  inheritors  of  the  sceptre  which  would 
have  been  wrested  from  the  grasp  of  the  deposed  usurper. 
These  are  the  Duke  de  Bordeaux,  son  of  Charles  X.,  who 
represents  the  elder  Bourbonic  race  ;  the  Count  de  Paris,  son 
of  the  late  Duke  of  Orleans,  and  grandson  of  Louis  Philippe 
of  the  house  of  Orleans  ;  a  President,  to  be  chosen  by  the 
Red  Republican  and  the  Socialist  factions  ;  and  a  mysterious 
and  singular  personage  who  makes  pretensions  higher,  older, 
and  more  exclusive  than  any  of  these.  We  refer  to  the  indi- 
vidual known  as  the  Rev.  Eleazar  Williams,  who  claims  to 
be  the  real  Louis  XVII.,  formerly  the  Dauphin  of  France  ; 
and  who  regards  himself,  in  his  green  and  vigorous  old  age, 
as  the  rightful  possessor  of  the  diadem  which  now  graces  the 
brow  of  Napoleon  III.  The  claims  of  Mr.  Williams,  which 
assuredly  possess  many  strange  and  perplexing  semblances 
to  truth,  have  been  put  forth  in  an  elaborate  and  formal 
manner ;  and  from  time  to  time  new  facts  are  brought  before 
the  public  which  seem  to  confirm  his  pretensions.  It  may 
not  be  amiss  to  examine  the  subject,  and  present  a  confuta- 
tion of  his  claims.  This  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and 
curious  problems  involved  in  the  arcana  of  modern  history, 
and  it  deserves  a  thorough  and  careful  investigation. 

1  The  following  Essay  was  prepared  by  the  writer  of  this  volume 
several  years  since ;  and  though  not  originally  intended  for  this  work, 
it  may  fitly  have  a  place  in  a  Napoleonic  Miscellany. 


334  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Several  resolute  attempts  have  been  made,  at  different  pe* 
riods  since  the  supposed  death  of  Louis  XVII.,  otherwise 
termed  the  Dauphin,  to  personate  him,  and  to  obtain  the 
support  of  public  approval  in  behalf  of  the  assumptions  of 
their  authors.  The  first  instance  of  this  description  occurred 
immediately  after  the  Dauphin's  death :  a  youth  named  Her- 
vagault  appeared  at  Chalons,  in  France,  who  represented  him- 
self as  the  unfortunate  prince.  This  adventurer  was  the  son 
of  a  tailor  in  the  department  of  La  Manche.  As  is  always 
the  case  with  pretenders  of  this  kind,  by  addressing  the  spirit 
of  credulity  so  powerful  in  the  human  breast,  and  possessing 
very  considerable  similarity  of  person  to  the  son  of  Louis  XVI  , 
he  obtained  for  a  time  many  followers.  He  subsisted  during 
some  months  on  their  generosity,  and  ran  a  short  career  of 
luxury  and  prodigality ;  after  which,  he  and  his  groundless 
pretensions  were  quietly  buried  in  the  same  oblivion. 

The  next  impostor  was  a  person  named  Brnneau,  who  first 
represented  himself  as  the  son  of  a  French  noble  named 
Baron  de  Vezin.  He  entered  the  French  army,  and  served 
in  America  until  he  deserted.  After  various  vicissitudes  he 
reached  France  in  1815,  where  he  boldly  set  forth  his  claims 
to  the  character  and  the  rights  of  the  Dauphin.  This  adven- 
turer, after  producing  some  excitement,  and  gaining  some 
adherents,  was  imprisoned  by  the  government  as  a  disturber 
of  the  public  peace,  after  which  he  entirely  disappeared  from 
the  notice  of  mankind. 

The  third  impostor  of  this  kind  was  named  Neundorf,  who 
came  upon  the  tapis  during  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe.  He 
is  said  to  have  discovered  his  identity  with  the  Dauphin  by 
means  of  mesmeric  revelations.  He  also  possessed  some 
striking  personal  resemblances  to  the  son  of  Louis  XVI., 
and  obtained  many  adherents.  Several  attempts  were  made 
to  assassinate  him,  which  added  to  his  presumed  importance, 
and  constituted  the  strongest  argument  in  favor  of  his  claims. 
He  was  banished  from  France  in  1838,  after  which  be  re- 
mained in  England  till  1844,  at  which  period  he  died. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  385 

Instances  such  as  these  clearly  evince,  how  easy  it  is  to 
find  plausibilities  and  coincidences  in  favor  of  almost  any 
claim  which  may  be  made  to  identity  with  persons  supposed 
to  be  long  since  deceased  Many  similar  cases  occur  in  his- 
tory. Thus  after  the  assassination  of  Paul  I.,  the  Czar  of 
Russia,  and  husband  of  the  great  Catherine  II.,  several  im- 
postors arose  at  different  times,  and  with  such  apparently 
unanswerable  proofs  of  identity  with  the  murdered  sovereign, 
that  they  succeeded  in  convulsing  the  whole  Russian  empire 
with  their  formidable  and  desperate  factions. 

The  latest,  and  by  far  the  most  respectable,  pretender  to 
identity  with  the  Dauphin,  and  hence  to  the  throne  of  France, 
is  the  Rev.  Eleazar  Williams,  a  clergyman  residing  in  Western 
New  York.  The  arguments  in  his  favor  have  been  brought 
forward  with  considerable  logical  ability,  by  a  clerical  gentle- 
man ; '  by  whom  the  positive  and  circumstantial  evidence  in 
favor  of  the  position  that  Mr.  Williams  is  the  lost  Dauphin 
of  France  is  marshalled,  and  commented  upon,  with  clear- 
ness, force,  and  ingenuity.  We  propose  to  examine  the  argu- 
ment which  he  has  thus  elaborated,  and  to  endeavor  to  show, 
that  the  facts  which  he  adduces  are  uncertain  and  insufficient ; 
and  that  the  conclusions  drawn  from  them  are  illogical,  and 
unwarranted  by  the  evidence. 

The  whole  discussion  of  this  question  divides  itself  into  two 
separate  and  distinct  inquiries  :  —  First,  is  the  evidence  that 
the  Dauphin  expired  in  the  Temple  in  1795,  conclusive  and 
satisfactory  ?  Second,  if  it  be  not ;  if  the  Dauphin  escaped 
both  from  the  Temple  and  from  the  grave ;  is  the  proof  suffi- 
cient to  warrant  the  assertion  that  Mr.  Williams  and  the 
escaped  Dauphin  are  one  and  the  same  person  ? 

In  investigating  the  facts  connected  with  this  argument,  it 
is  proper  that  a  preliminary  statement  should  be  made,  to 
which  every  impartial  reader  will  accede,  and  that  is,  that  no 

1  Rev.  J.  II.  Hauson,  late  Assistant  Rector  of  Calvary  Church,  Nevt 
York. 

33  z 


386  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE     HISTORY 

mere  assertions  of  Mr.  Williams  on  the  one  hand,  or  of  the 
Prince  de  Joinville,  his  rival,  who  is  equally  interested,  on 
the  other  hand,  ought  to  be  received,  as  logically  conclusive 
arguments,  unless  they  are  supported  by  additional  evidence ; 
inasmuch  as  the  statements  of  both  are  liable  to  the  fatal 
objection,  that  they  may  be  dictated  by  personal  interest  or 
prejudice.  Solid  proofs,  unanswerable  facts,  and  not  mere 
surmises  and  presumptions,  however  plausible  and  ingenious 
they  may  be,  ought  to  have  weight  in  determining  one  of  the 
most  important  and  intricate  historical  enigmas  ever  yet  pro- 
pounded. 

Having  premised  thus  much,  let  us  proceed  to  the  exami- 
nation of  the  evidence,  as  it  appertains  to  the  two  points 
already  stated. 

On  the  21st  of  January,  1194,  Simon,  the  first  jailor  of  the 
Dauphin,  left  the  Temple,  and  his  connection  with  the  un- 
fortunate Prince  then  ended.  From  that  period  till  the  28th 
of  July,  1794,  the  young  prince  had  no  particular  keeper, 
but  was  supplied  with  bread  and  water  by  the  ordinary 
attendants  in  the  Temple,  while  he  remained  shut  up  in  his 
dungeon,  in  a  most  pitiable  and  wretched  condition.  Now, 
here  was  a  period  of  six  months,  during  which,  if  a  rescue 
would  have  been  attempted  by  the  friends  of  the  royal  family 
at  all,  it  would  have  been  most  easily  accomplished  ;  for 
though  the  iron  door  of  the  apartment  was  bolted  and  barred, 
yet,  by  the  use  of  chemical  agents,  especially  as  the  door,  and 
the  child's  prison,  were  subjected  to  no  scrutiny,  the  fasten- 
ings might  easily  have  been  removed.  Besides,  it  was  during 
this  period  that  the  prince's  room  was  in  darkness ;  was 
never  opened,  ventilated,  or  swept ;  and  consequently,  if  any 
substitution  had  been  attempted  or  made,  it  would  not  easily 
have  been  detected.  And  the  inference  is  a  very  fair  one, 
that  if  no  rescue  was  attempted  during  this  long  and  propi- 
tious interval,  by  the  friends  of  the  Dauphin,  they  would  not 
make  the  effort  at  any  later  and  more  unfavorable  period. 

Now  was  any  substitution  made  in  the  person  and  place 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  387 

of  the  Dauphin  during  this  interval  ?  The  answer  is,  there 
was  none.  It  is  not  even  pretended  that  there  was  any.  It 
is  admitted  on  all  hands,  that  on  the  28th  or  July,  1794, 
when  Barras  became  inspector  of  the  Temple,  and  he  first 
learned  the  horrid  condition  of  wretchedness  to  which  the  royal 
child  had  been  reduced,  he  obtained  the  appointment  of  Lau- 
rent as  the  keeper  of  the  prince,  and  some  amelioration  of  his 
condition  immediately  took  place.  It  is  conceded  that,  during 
the  attendance  of  Laurent,  the  prince  was  seen  by  many  per- 
sons who  recognised  and  identified  him.  After  some  time 
Gomin,  in  heart  a  royalist,  was  appointed  to  assist  Laurent 
in  his  duties.  Some  months  elapsed  when  Laurent  obtained 
his  dismissal  from  his  ungrateful  task,  and  Lasne,  the  last  of 
the  keepers  of  the  prince,  was  installed  in  his  place.  Now  this 
same  Lasne  had  been  a  soldier.  He  had  served  in  the  Garde 
Fraru;aise,  and  later  in  the  Garde  National.  In  the  latter 
body  he  attained  the  rank  of  captain,  and  had  served  on  duty 
at  the  Tuilleries,  while  the  royal  family  resided  in  confinement 
there.  At  that  time  he  became  familiar  with  the  person  of 
the  Dauphin.  Hence  it  was  that  he  was  able  to  recognize 
the  young  prince  as  soon  as  he  became  his  keeper,  and  was 
also  able  to  recall  to  his  mind  the  cheering  personal  recollec- 
tions with  which  it  is  said  he  diverted  his  captive. 

Now  Gomin  and  Lasne  both  testify  to  the  identity  and  to 
the  death  of  the  Dauphin.  Do  they  falsify  ;  and  were  they 
accessory  to  his  escape  ?  For  it  must  be  admitted  that,  if  he 
escaped  at  all,  it  must  have  been  with  their  connivance  and 
their  knowledge.  As  to  Lasne,  he  was  a  decided  Republican, 
appointed  to  his  post  by  the  Republican  interest,  and  it  can- 
not be  supposed  that  he  would  aid  in  such  a  measure. 
Gomin,  on  the  contrary,  was  a  concealed  Royalist;  he  was 
selected  as  the  direct  agent  of  the  Count  de  Provence,  after- 
ward Louis  XVIII.  —  and  the  question  arises,  whether  the 
Count  de  Provence  was  favorable  to  the  escape  of  the  prince 
or  not  ?  It  is  admitted  by  the  advocate  of  Mr.  Williams, 
that  the   "Count  de  Provence  was  anxious  to  obtain  sove~ 


388  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

reignty,"  at  the  period  of  the  confinement  of  the  Dauphin, 
as  well  as  ever  afterward  ;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  he  sub- 
sequently did  ascend  the  throne  as  Louis  XVIII.,  at  the 
first  opportunity  which  was  offered.  Now  though  the  Count 
proclaimed  himself  Regent,  at  the  time  when  he  proclaimed 
the  Dauphin  king  as  Louis  XVII.,  yet  regencies,  he  well 
knew,  were  dangerous  and  insecure.  Moreover,  a  regency 
did  not  satisfy  his  ambition,  and  hence,  as  he  was  anxious  to 
reign  alone,  the  release  or  escape  of  the  Dauphin  would  have 
placed  an  insurmountable  barrier  to  his  ambition.  If,  there- 
fore, Gomin  was  a  creature  of  the  Count  de  Provence,  as  he 
undoubtedly  was,  his  orders  would  have  been,  if  he  had  any 
at  all,  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  captive ;  and  as  his  suffer- 
ings had  already  nearly  proved  fatal,  and  his  recovery  hope- 
less, to  let  him  remain,  and  to  let  him  quietly  die.  It  is  very 
justly  observed  by  the  partisan  of  Mr.  Williams,  that  "the 
only  chance  for  the  Royalists  in  1795  seemed  the  possessson 
of  the  right  of  succession  by  a  strong  man."  That  strong 
man  was  the  Count  de  Provence,  and  not  the  imbecile  and 
dying  prince.  It  is  admitted  on  the  other  side,  that  the 
Count  de  Provence  was  a  man  of  so  little  principle  "  that  he 
corresponded  with  Robespierre  himself;  that  he  was  known 
to  have  been  most  anxious  to  obtain  royal  power,  and  was 
naturally  impatient  of  the  intervening  obstacle."  Now  this 
being  the  case,  what  possible  motive  had  he  to  obtain  the 
release  of  the  Dauphin  ?  The  latter,  it  was  known,  was  has- 
tening to  his  grave ;  it  was  believed  that  his  sufferings,  if 
they  continued,  would  inevitably  lead  to  that  result ;  and  the 
lengthened  captivity  of  the  Dauphin  would  not  only  compass 
the  end  desired  by  the  ambitious  Count,  but  at  the  same  time, 
would  throw  all  the  odium  of  the  murder  on  the  Republican 
party.  Under  these  circumstances,  and  with  such  principles, 
it  would  have  been  the  greatest  possible  insanity  on  the  part 
of  the  uncle  of  the  captive,  to  interfere  in  his  condition  ;  and 
it  is  clear  that  his  uncle  was  the  only  person  who  could  have 
interfered  effectually  for  his  release.     It  is  probable,  even, 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  389 

that  he  would  exert  his  influence,  and  employ  his  intrigues, 
to  prevent  his  escape. 

The  apologist  for  Mr.  Williams  adds,  "that  it  was  only 
necessary  that  there  should  be  the  appointment  of  a  Royalist 
Commissary,  who  would  lend  himself  to  the  plot,  to  effect 
the  removal  of  the  Prince."  This  is  doubtful;  for  would 
Lasne,  an  acknowledged  Republican,  assist  this  purpose  ? 
^Yould  Tourin,  the  obsequious  creature  of  the  ambitious  and 
unprincipled  Count  of  Provence,  aid  in  this  escape  ?  And 
more  than  all,  would  the  Convention  appoint  any  known 
Royalist  as  Commissary  of  the  prison,  whose  jurisdiction  was 
absolute  there  as  its  inspector  ?  And  even  if  the  Con- 
vention would  make  such  a  singular  and  dangerous  appoint- 
ment, there  is  not  the  slightest  proof  on  record,  and  none  is 
adduced  by  our  opponent,  that  such  a  Royalist  Commissary 
ever  was  appointed.  It  is  in  the  absence  of  all  such  proof, 
and  even  in  the  face  of  strong  probabilities  to  the  contrary, 
that  the  presumption  is  set  up,  that  it  is  probable  the  escape 
of  the  Dauphin  was  planned  and  effected,  and  that  by  some- 
body, but  nobody  knows  by  whom  1 

But  it  is  urged  that,  after  the  alleged  death  of  the  Prince, 
and  when  the  post  mortem  examination  was  made  by  four 
eminent  physicians  appointed  by  the  Convention,  it  was  found 
that  the  deceased  child  had  but  two  tumours,  one  at  the 
wrist  and  the  other  at  the  knee  ;  whereas  it  is  alleged  that  the 
Dauphin  was  afflicted  with  tumours  at  all  his  joints,  and  par- 
ticularly at  his  knees.  From  this  discrepance  it  is  urged  that 
another  sick  child  had  been  substituted  for  the  Dauphin. 

Now,  the  answer  to  this  argument  is  plain.  The  examin- 
ing physicians,  in  their  proces  verbal,  expressly  declare  that 
they  inspected  the  remains,  and  "opened  the  body  of  the 
t,on  of  the  deceased  Louis  Capet. "  Two  of  these  physicians 
had  attended  the  Dauphin  during  his  lifetime,  ever  since  the 
death  of  Dessault ;  they  had  attended  him  while  Lasne  had 
been,  as  he  remained  till  the  Dauphin's  death,  his  keeper ; 
Lasne  had  known  the  person  of  the  Dauphin  while  at  the 
33* 


390  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Tuilleries  and  before  his  captivity  at  the  Temple ;  and  thus 
tne  chain  of  personal  recognition  was  kept  up,  without  any 
mistake  or  imposition,  from  the  residence  of  the  Prince  at  the 
Palace  of  the  Tuilleries,  till  his  supposed  decease.  Had 
there  been  any  substitution,  the  republican  Lasne  would  have 
detected  and  exposed  it.  He  would  have  made  it  known  to 
Dumangin  and  Pelletan  when  they  arrived,  and  these  physi- 
cians would  never  have  certified  under  oath,  to  the  National 
Convention,  that  they  had  dissected  "  the  body  of  the  son  of 
the  deceased  Louis  Capet,"  had  they  entertained  any  sus- 
picion of  an  imposition. 

The  next  position  of  importance  assumed  by  the  advocates 
of  the  escape  of  the  Dauphin  is,  that  Bellanger,  who  was  also 
in  the  pay  of  the  Count  de  Provence,  and  was  an  artist,  had 
interviews  with  the  Dauphin  ;  that  he  painted  his  likeness, 
and  that  he  was  the  agent  in  his  removal.  Now,  aside  from 
the  fact  that  there  is  a  strong  presumption  in  favor  of  the 
position,  that  the  Count  de  Provence  did  not  desire,  and 
would  not  aid  in  the  escape  of  the  Dauphin,  another  difficulty 
arises  in  the  way  of  this  ai'gument.  They  urge  that  Bellanger 
"stabbed  a  man  in  a  political  quarrel  in  France,  and  fled  for 
safety,  and  that  he  carried  the  Dauphin  with  him."  The  im- 
probability of  this  story  must  be  apparent  to  every  one.  To 
effect  such  a  purpose  as  the  escape  of  the  Dauphin  from  the 
Temple,  in  the  face  of  a  hostile  and  vigilant  nation,  required 
great  secresy,  composure,  and  leisure.  The  condition  of  a 
man  about  to  flee  for  his  life,  after  the  commission  of  so  great 
a  crime  as  murder,  is  surely  the  least  propitious  situation 
under  which  to  effect  such  a  purpose.  But  then,  "  Bellanger 
declared  on  his  death-bed,  that  he  had  brought  the  Dauphin 
to  this  country."  Granted  :  but  may  not  this  declaration  of 
his  have  been  made  in  the  disordered  wanderings  of  a  failing 
and  exhausted  intellect  ?  The  last  hours  of  expiring  nature, 
when  reason  totters  on  her  trembling  throne,  and  deranged 
physical  action  may,  by  sympathy,  affect  the  clearness  of  the 
mind  —  that,  surely,  is  no  situation  favorable  to  accurate  and 


OF    NAPOLECN    III.  391 

reliable  statements  on  any  subject.  And  statements  made 
under  such  circumstances,  are  not  sufficient  foundations  on 
which  to  base  the  truthfulness  of  great  historical  facts,  in  the 
absence  of  all  other  satisfactory  proofs.  If  Bellanger  made 
this  statement,  and  if  when  made,  it  was  a  true  one,  he  would 
have  pointed  out  additional  proofs  ;  he  would  have  produced 
papers,  relics,  and  other  collateral  evidences,  to  substantiate 
so  singular  and  so  remarkable  a  disclosure.  But  he  did 
neither ;  though  the  motive  which  would  have  induced  him  to 
make  the  statement  in  the  first  place  would  have  also  induced 
him  to  furnish  the  additional  evidence  to  substantiate  it,  had 
he  made  it,  or  had  it  been  true  when  made.  It  is  a  most  im- 
probable statement,  for  as  yet  there  is  nothing  but  a  state- 
ment—  that  Bellanger  would  have  simply  revealed  so  vast  a 
secret,  aud  not  referred  to  or  produced  some  corroborating 
proof,  as  he  easily  might  have  done,  had  the  statement  been 
true. 

But  still  further  positive  evidence  may  be  adduced  to  esta- 
blish the  death  of  the  Dauphin  in  the  Temple,  and  to  prove 
that  no  substitution  had  taken  place.  M.  Dessault  was  the 
first  physician  sent  by  the  Convention  to  attend  the  suifer- 
ing  Prince.  He  had  also  been  the  physician  of  the  Royal 
family  previous  to  their  imprisonment.  He  therefore  knew 
the  person  of  the  Dauphin  well.  His  attendance  on  him  con- 
tinued after  Lasne,  his  last  personal  attendant,  who  had  also 
known  him  at  the  Tuilleries,  was  placed  near  him.  Both  of 
these  individuals,  therefore,  recognised  the  person  of  the 
Dauphin  after  the  six  months  of  suspicious  neglect,  which 
immediately  followed  the  dismissal  of  the  brutal  Simon.  And 
Lasne  and  Gomin  both  declare  that  they  were  present  with 
the  surgeons  at  the  last  inspection  of  the  body,  and  that  no 
question  then  arose  in  the  minds  of  any  as  to  the  identity  of 
the  remains. 

The  sister  of  the  Dauphin,  the  Duchess  d'Angouleme,  who 
saw  the  corpse  of  her  brother  before  its  interment,  describes 
the  miserable  appearance  of  the  corpse,  the  sad  havoc  which 


392  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

the  disease  had  made  in  his  once  beautiful  features,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  particularize  as  to  his  appearance.  Yet,  she  never 
for  one  moment  questions  the  identity  of  the  remains.  Is  it 
possible  that  a  sister  should  not  have  known  and  recognised 
the  body  of  a  beloved  brother  ?  Any  position  that  would 
wish  to  force  such  a  supposition,  or  that  would  assert,  that 
the  keen  penetration  of  a  sister's  love  could  be  imposed  upon 
by  a  substitution,  must  be  most  absurd.  And  yet  such  is  the 
dilemma  to  which  our  opponents  are  driven,  in  evading  the 
testimony  of  the  princess  d'Angouleme.  She  could  not 
recognise  her  own  brother  when  dead,  though  only  separated 
from  him  two  years,  during  which  time  she  had  seen  him  on 
several  distinct  occasions  ! 

We  proceed  now  to  the  second  class  of  arguments  and 
facts  connected  with  this  interesting  inquiry  :  —  those  which 
it  is  alleged  establish  the  claims  of  Mr.  Williams  as  being 
the  Dauphin  of  France,  or  Louis  XVII. 

We  will  begin  in  the  order  of  time  with  that  argument 
which  first  served  to  establish  the  convictions  of  Mr.  Williams 
himself  on  the  subject  —  his  famous  interview  with  the  Prince 
de  Joinville.  It  is  alleged  by  Mr.  Williams  that  when  the 
Prince  visited  the  United  States  in  1841,  he  sought  a  meet- 
ing with  Mr.  Williams ;  stated  to  him  that  he  was  the  son 
of  Louis  the  XVI.  ;  and  wished  him  to  abdicate  his  claim  to 
the  throne  of  France,  in  exchange  for  a  splendid  establish- 
ment, and  the  restoration  of  all  the  property  which  had 
belonged  to  that  sovereign  ;  and  that,  after  the  deliberation 
of  some  hours,  he  (Mr.  Williams)  refused  the  offer.  Now, 
we  must  here  apply  the  principle  of  reasoning  laid  down  at 
the  commencement  of  this  argument ;  that  the  mere  private 
statement  of  the  interested  parties  should  not  be  received  as 
testimony  ;  —  that  they  are  not  competent  and  admissible 
proof  in  a  case  like  the  present ;  because  both  are  liable  to 
the  influence  of  interest.  Mr.  Williams  solemnly  asserts  that 
this  proposal  was  made.  The  Prince  de  Joinville  as  posi- 
tively asserts  that  such  is  not  the  fact;  and  that  nothing  of  the 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  393 

kind  ever  occurred.  Here  one  denial  balances  the  other ; 
one  assertion  is  equal,  as  evidence,  to  the  other.  That  is  to 
say,  both  are  worth  nothing.  Hence,  in  examining  the  claims 
of  Mr.  Williams,  we  must  throw  entirely  out  of  the  question 
this  interview,  and  proceed  precisely  as  if  it  never  occurred. 
No  argument  on  either  side  can  be  based  on  the  mere  state- 
ments of  either  party  to  the  dispute. 

It  cannot  be  said  in  answer  to  this  position,  that  there  is 
collateral  proof  in  favor  of  Mr.  Williams'  declaration.  His 
advocate  asserts  that  he  has  convicted  the  Prince  of  false- 
hood in  one  part  of  his  denial  at  least :  that  while  the  Prince 
declares  the  meeting  in  question  to  have  been  purely  acci- 
dental, there  is  proof  that  he  sought  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Williams.  Now,  in  the  first  place  the  Prince  does  not  say 
that  the  meeting  was  accidental.  His  language  is  merely  as 
follows  :  "  The  Prince  finding  himself  at  Mackinaw,  met  on 
board  the  steamboat  a  passenger  whose  face  he  thinks  he 
recognises  in  the  portrait  given  in  Putnam's  Monthly  Maga- 
zine." The  Prince  may  have  "  met"  Mr.  Williams  by  acci- 
dent, or  by  concert  and  design,  so  far  as  anything  appears 
from  the  language  of  this  letter.  The  Prince  does  not  de- 
scribe how  he  "met"  Mr.  Williams;  but  simply  states  the 
fact  of  the  meeting ;  and  it  is  putting  a  forced  construction 
upon  the  language  of  the  writer,  to  say  that,  by  these  words, 
he  wished  to  give  the  idea  that  the  meeting  was  purely 
accidental. 

Nor  is  it  true,  that  the  advocate  of  Mr.  Williams  convicts 
the  Prince  of  falsehood  in  any  sense.  For  the  testimony  of 
Captain  Shook  and  others,  who  were  present  at  the  inter- 
view, to  show  that  it  was  sought  for,  does  not  refer  to  the 
subject  of  their  private  conversation  ;  but  they  simply  certify 
to  the  fact  that  the  Prince  made  inquiries  about  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, and  desired  to  see  him.  Now  why  did  he  desire  an 
interview  with  Mr.  Williams  ?  The  Prince  was  making  that 
entire  tour  upon  the  Northern  Lakes,  in  order  to  obtain  his- 
torical and  geographical  details  respecting  the  early  French 


394  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

settlements,  and  the  Indians  who  had  been  in  intercourse  with 
the  French  settlers.  He  had  learned  that  the  most  intelligent 
and  reliable  resident  in  all  those  regions  was  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Williams  himself.  He  therefore  desired  to  make  his  acquaint- 
ance, more  than  that  of  any  other  person  ;  hence  he  inquired 
after  him;  and  hence  he  "met"  him.  Now  it  is  possible 
that,  in  the  private  interview  which  followed  between  them, 
the  Prince  may  have  informed  the  missionary  that  there  was 
a  very  striking  resemblance  between  his  appearance  and  that 
of  the  elder  branch  of  the  Bourbon  family,  and  it  is  possible 
that  Mr.  Williams,  overcome  by  the  mental  agitation  occa- 
sioned to  an  individual  of  his  excessive  timidity  and  nervous- 
ness, by  the  familiar  intercourse  of  so  distinguished  a  person- 
age as  the  Prince,  might,  in  his  confusion,  have  imagined 
that  the  Prince  added  to  that  remark,  that  he  belonged  to 
that  family  ;  or,  perhaps,  that  if  he  did  not  know  the  Dauphin 
to  be  dead,  he  would  have  supposed  that  Mr.  Williams  was 
he.  Such  might  have  been  the  origin  of  the  honest  delusion 
under  which  Mr.  Williams  rested.  But  it  is  absurd  to  say, 
that  any  evidence  has  yet  been  adduced  to  convict  the  Prince 
of  falsehood,  in  the  statements  contained  in  his  communica- 
tion in  reference  to  the  famous  interview. 

There  are  other  facts  which  render  the  occurrence  of  this 
alleged  proposal  of  the  Prince  exceedingly  improbable,  aside 
from  the  fact  of  his  positive  denial  of  it.  First  of  all,  is  it 
likely,  that  Mr.  Williams  would  have  rejected  such  an  offer  ? 
We  answer,  placing  equal  reliance  on  the  statement  of  the 
clergyman  and  the  prince,  —  that  is,  throwing  them  both  out 
of  the  question,  we  believe  it  to  be  the  most  improbable  thing 
that  was  ever  narrated.  Mr.  Williams  then  lived,  and  still 
lives,  in  one  of  the  most  dismal,  cheerless,  and  forlorn  spots 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  his  labors  are  great,  and  his  com- 
forts and  means  of  living  very  small.  Would  he  not  have  ex- 
changed these  deprivations  for  a  splendid  establishment,  and 
immense  wealth,  in  this  country  or  in  France,  on  any  condi- 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  395 

tions,  not  involving  moral  dereliction  ?  He  jiust  have  been 
either  more  or  less  than  human,  not  to  have  done  so 

Again,  why  was  it  that  Mr.  Williams  took  no  copy  of  the 
remarkable  instrument  of  writing  he  was  requested  to  sign  ? 
Why  did  he  retain  no  marks  or  proofs  whereby  to  establish 
the  occurrence  of  so  extraordinary  an  event  ?  His  neglect 
of  this  precaution  would  seem  to  be  the  most  astounding 
thing  on  record.  The  answer  is,  in  spite  of  Mr.  Williams's 
delusion  to  the  contrary,  that  the  reality  never  occurred  He 
himself  questions  in  his  journal  of  that  date,  as  well  he 
may,  whether  these  incidents  were  a  "reality  or  a  dream." 
He  himself  seems  doubtful  as  to  which  of  these  it  actually 
was.  We  believe  it  was  the  latter.  We  believe  that  the 
excited  or  confused  imagination  of  the  missionary  was  struck 
with  the  remark,  perhaps,  that  he  closely  resembled  the  Bour- 
bons, or  particularly  the  dead  Dauphin  ;  that  in  dwelling 
upon  it  in  thought,  he  gradually  clothed  this  airy  nothing 
with  a  "local  habitation  and  a  name  ;"  that  the  "  wish  then 
became  father  to  the  thought;"  and  that  he  at  length  per- 
suaded himself,  as  men  have  done  in  thousands  of  similar  in- 
stances, that  what  he  desired  or  imagined,  actually  possessed 
a  sober  reality. 

This  alleged  proposition  of  the  Prince  de  Joinville  pre- 
sents itself  in  another  aspect.  It  is  most  improbable  for  this 
reason  :  that  the  Prince  is  represented  as  having  taken  no 
precautions  whatever  to  secure  secresy,  in  case  his  overtures 
should  be  rejected ;  and  no  precautions  to  prevent  Mr.  Wil- 
liams from  taking  ample  proof  of  the  reality  of  the  proposals 
made  to  him.  Now  the  Prince  expected  either  that  Mr. 
Williams  would  accept  or  that  he  would  refuse  them.  If  he 
accepted  the  proposals,  and  signed  away  his  throne,  no  danger 
or  scandal  would  accrue  from  the  subsequent  publicity  of  the 
event.  But  if,  on  the  contrary,  Mr.  Williams  refused,  and  if 
he  took  any  evidence  of  his  refusal,  as  the  facilities  afforded 
him  by  the  Prince's  occasional  absence  from  the  room  would 
have  easily  allowed  him  to  do,  if  it  could  have  been  done, 


396  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

then,  the  publication  of  such  an  interview,  corroborated  by 
such  proofs,  would  have  been  at  least  a  source  of  great  scandal, 
and  a  cause  of  much  anxiety  to  Louis  Philippe,  who  even 
then  sat  very  insecurely  upon  his  precarious  throne.  How 
easy  would  it  have  been  for  Mr.  Williams  to  have  taken  a 
copy  of  the  proposed  abdication  ?  How  easily  might  he  have 
taken  an  impress,  and  a  pencil  fac-simile  of  the  ancient  royal 
seal  of  France,  which,  as  he  asserted,  lay  by  him  for  some 
hours.  Now  the  Prince  could  not  foresee  that  Mr.  Williams 
would  not  have  had  sagacity  enough  to  secure  these  proofs  ; 
and,  in  case  of  his  refusal  to  accept,  to  have  published  them. 
And  yet  the  Prince,  according  to  Mr.  Williams's  own  state- 
ment, took  no  means  whatever  to  prevent  so  unpleasant  a 
contingency.  Surely  the  Prince  de  Joinville  never  before  or 
since  acted  with  so  little  shrewdness. 

In  support  of  his  assertions  Mr.  Wiliiams  maintains  that  he 
received  several  letters  from  the  Prince,  after  his  departure  to 
Europe,  corroborative  of  his  statements ;  and  that  Louis  Phi- 
lippe, the  father  of  the  Prince,  also  addressed  him  an  auto- 
graph letter  of  the  same  import.  That  some  letters  may  have 
been  received  by  Mr.  Williams  from  these  personages  may  be 
true.  But  there  is  no  evidence  as  to  their  contents.  An 
allusion  to  them  is  in  fact  positively  injurious  to  the  claim  of 
Mr.  Williams,  because,  contrary  to  all  common  prudence,  and 
the  ordinary  conduct  of  rational  men,  he  has  destroyed  those 
very  letters,  as  he  himself  declares.  Now  the  excuse  urged 
by  Mr.  Williams  for  taking  no  copy,  and  for  reserving  no 
proof,  of  the  parchment,  and  of  the  interview  with  the  Prince — . 
namely,  the  sudden  hurry  and  agitation  of  the  scene,  and  the 
consequent  confusion  of  his  mind — cannot  be  urged  in  excuse 
for  destroying  these  only  additional  evidences  which  were 
subsequently,  as  he  alleges,  placed  in  his  possession.  If  de- 
stroyed at  all,  they  were  destroyed  deliberately,  after  calm 
reflection  as  to  what  had  best  be  done  with  them.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams doubtless  concluded  that  their  existence,  if  they  existed 
at  all,  would  operate  unfavorably  to  his  pretensions  :  accord- 


OF    NAPOLEON     III.  397 

ingly  they  were  destroyed.  This  part  of  the  history  of  the 
connection  of  the  family  of  Louis  Philippe  with  the  case,  is 
most  conclusively  prejudicial  to  the  claims  of  Mr.  Williams  to 
the  Dauphinship  of  France,  in  the  mind  of  every  impartial 
observer. 

But  it  is  said  Mr.  Williams  recognised  the  portraits  of 
Simon,  and  of  Madame  Elizabeth,  the  sister  of  Louis  XVI.; 
and  yet  it  is  stated  also,  that  he  could  not  recognise  the 
likeness  of  Louis  XYI.,  his  father,  or  of  his  mother,  Maria 
Antoinette,  both  of  which  were  shown  him  at  the  same  time. 
Is  it  in  .accordance  with  common  sense  to  suppose  that  the 
Dauphin,  if  he  now  lived,  would,  after  the  lapse  of  many 
years,  recognise  the  portrait  of  a  stranger,  and  not  be  able  to 
recognise  the  portraits  of  his  parents,  whom  he  had  seen  far 
more  frequently,  and  that  on  much  more  intimate  and  familiar 
terms  than  they  ?  Nor  is  it  urged  that  Mr.  Williams,  when 
he  recognised  the  two  former  portraits,  stated  whose  they 
were  ;  —  he  merely  declared  that  he  recollected  to  have  seen 
the  originals.  Consequently  his  remembrance  of  the  portrait 
of  the  savage  Simon  amounts  to  nothing,  so  far  as  its  weight 
as  testimony  is  concerned.  Had  Mr.  Williams  been  able  to 
tell  whose  portrait  it  was,  and  some  of  the  facts  connected 
with  it,  his  recognition  might  have  had  some  value.  It 
might  indeed  be  true  that  the  memory  of  such  a  countenance 
"  had  haunted  Mr.  Williams  through  life  ;  "  and  yet,  that 
countenance,  which  he  did  remember,  might  just  as  well  have 
belonged  to  some  semi-barbarous  wretch,  some  half-man  half- 
demon,  in  the  frontier  solitudes  of  the  western  world,  as  to 
the  rabid  and  brutal  French  Jacobin,  who  tortured  the  un- 
happy Dauphin  in  the  Temple. 

The  advocate  of  Mr.  Williams,  after  elaborating  an  argu- 
ment of  great  ingenuity  in  his  favor,  has  arranged  all  the 
strong  points  of  his  case  under  twenty-six  heads.  We  will 
re-state  the  substance  of  each  of  these  positions,  in  their  order, 
and  append  what  we  suppose  to  be  a  conclusive  answer  to 
each  of  them.  It  is  said: 
34 


398  PUBLIC    AND    TRIVATE    HISTORY 

1.  That  the  Prince  de  Joinville  informed  Mr.  "Williams, 
in  a  private  interview  in  1841,  that  he  (Mr.  Williams)  was 
the  Dauphin. 

This  assertion  of  Mr.  Williams  is  denied  by  the  Prince  in 
the  most  positive  manner ;  and  as  both  parties  are  equally 
interested,  and  equally  respectable,  the  denial  of  the  one  is 
paramount  in  weight  to  the  assertion  of  the  other. 

2.  That  Louis  Philippe,  late  King  of  the  French,  wrote  to 
Mr.  Williams  with  his  own  hand,  on  the  subject  of  his  royal 
descent. 

There  is  no  proof  of  this  fact,  because  Mr.  Williams  has 
destroyed  these  letters,  as  he  himself  admits.  Their  destruc- 
tion, if  they  ever  existed,  is  itself  an  argument  against  him. 

3.  That  Bellanger  when  dying  confessed  that  he  had  brought 
the  Dauphin  to  this  country. 

There  is  no  evidence  of  this  fact  but  a  mere  unsupported 
rumor.  The  dying  declarations  of  men  are  sometimes  very 
erroneous,  being  merely  the  result  of  the  derangement  of 
mind.  Bellanger  did  not  say  that  Mr.  Williams  was  the 
Dauphin.  He  did  not  assert  that  the  Dauphin  was  even 
alive  at  the  time  of  his  own  death. 

4.  That  the  French  Ambassador,  Genet,  acknowledged 
that  the  Dauphin  was  in  this  country  in  1817. 

This  was  but  the  private  opinion  of  M.  Genet ;  nor  did  he 
furnish  any  evidence  whatever  to  those  to  whom  he  com- 
municated this  surmise,  upon  what  he  based  it. 

5.  That  Le  Ray  Chaumont,  in  dealing  with  the  Indians, 
once  made  a  remote  allusion  to  the  Dauphin. 

His  allusion  is  so  very  remote,  that  it  is  worth  nothing  ; 
as  it  did  not  furnish  any  particulars,  or  give  the  least  infor- 
mation on  the  subject. 

6.  That  Col.  de  Ferrier,  one  of  the  body-gnard  of  Louis 
XVI.,  lived  near  Mr.  Williams  at  Oneida,  and  believed  that 
a  member  of  the  family  of  Louis  XVI.  was  somewhere  in 
America,  and  in  indigent  circumstances. 

If  Col.  de  Ferrier  was  so  near  Mr.  Williams,  in  the  same 
neighborhood  as  is  represented,  and  had  known  the  Royal 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  809 

family  in  France,  he  would  inevitably  have  recognised  the 
Dauphin,  and  proclaimed  the  fact  of  his  identity.  His  belief 
that  a  "  member  of  the  King's  family"  was  in  this  country, 
is  too  remote  and  indefinite  an  allusion  to  be  of  any  weight. 
His  belief  might  have  referred  to  some  other  member,  legi 
timate  or  illegitimate,  of  the  Bourbon  race.  He  never  speci- 
fied the  Dauphin  as  the  subject  of  his  reference,  which  fact  is 
itself  suspicious. 

7.  That  the  Abbe  de  Chalonne  and  Bishop  Chevreuse 
believed  the  Dauphin  to  be  in  this  country. 

We  have  no  evidence  as  to  the  foundation  of  this  belief. 
And  even  if  its  foundation  has  been  sufficient  and  satisfactory, 
it  does  not  designate  Mr.  Williams,  more  than  a  million  of 
other  persons  on  this  continent,  as  being  the  subject  of  that 
belief. 

8.  That  strenuous  efforts  have  been  made  by  members  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  to  convert  Mr.  Williams  to  their 
faith,  which  are  only  explicable  on  the  ground  that  he  is 
more  than  an  ordinary  person. 

The  proselyting  zeal  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  is 
very  great  under  all  circumstances.  Mr.  Williams  is  a  respect- 
able Protestant  clergyman,  and  his  conversion  would,  on  that 
account  alone,  be  a  subject  of  unusual  importance  and  inte- 
rest. He  would  be  a  valuable  accession  ;  and  his  influence 
over  the  Indian  population  of  Western  New  York  would  add 
very  much  to  the  value  of  his  acquisition. 

9.  That  the  name  of  Eleazar  Williams  is  omitted  in  the 
baptismal  register  at  Caughnawaga  where  he  was  reared. 

So  are  the  names  of  hundreds  of  other  baptized  persons 
accidentally  omitted  in  the  United  States,  each  one  of  whom 
would  have  an  equal  claim  to  Dauphinship,  on  that  ground, 
with  Mr.  Williams. 

10.  Mr.  Williams  has  none  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
Indian  race. 

It  is  granted;  and  according  to  his  own  showing,  he  ought 
not  to  have  ;  because  his  Apologist  asserts  himself,  that  Mr. 
Williams  is  of  English  origin,  and  hence  ought  not  to 


400  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTCRY 

exhibit  the  characteristics  of  an  Indian.  He  says  expressly: 
the  Williams  family  are  of  English  origin.  It  would  cer- 
tainly be  very  singular  if  Mr.  Williams,  being  of  English  de- 
scent, should  resemble  the  Indian  race.  But  we  cannot  admit 
that  because  Mr.  Williams  is  of  English  origin,  that  therefore 
he  ic  entitled  to  the  throne  of  France,  or  to  being  regarded 
as  the  son  of  Louis  XVI.,  or  that  he  is  even  a  Frenchman. 

11.  That  he  closely  resembles  Louis  XVIII.  in  his  per- 
sonal appearance. 

Personal  resemblances  are  of  such  frequent  occurrence,  and 
so  ordinary  in  the  daily  observation  of  every  one,  that  they 
are  worth  nothing  as  evidence  in  a  case  of  this  description. 
All  the  false  claimants  before  Mr.  Williams  had  the  same  or 
greater  personal  resemblance  to  the  Bourbon  family. 

12.  Various  marks  on  bis  body  correspond  exactly  with 
the  marks  on  the  Dauphin. 

There  is  conflicting  testimony  as  to  what  the  marks  on  the 
real  Dauphin  actually  were ;  whether  he  had  swellings  on  all, 
or  only  on  some  of  his  joints.  Mr.  Williams  has  traces  of 
scrofulous  disease  only  on  the  knee.  So  have  ten  thousand 
other  persons  in  this  country,  none  of  whom  claim  to  be  the 
Dauphin  on  that  ground  alone. 

13.  The  Dauphin  was  omitted  in  the  religious  solemnities 
for  the  departed  Bourbons,  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XVIII.  ; 
thus  proving  that  he  was  supposed  to  be  still  alive. 

Masses  are  not  said  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  for 
the  souls  of  those  who  die  in  infancy  and  extreme  youth,  as 
was  supposed  to  have  been  the  case  with  the  Dauphin.  Even 
if  the  real  Dauphin  was  believed  to  be  alive  in  1817,  that 
does  not  designate  Mr.  Williams  to  be  the  person  ;  or  prove 
him  to  have  been  regarded  as  such  by  the  French  Govern- 
ment at  that  time. 

14.  That  his  reputed  Indian  mother  does  not  recognise 
him  as  her  son. 

This  is  simply  absurd  ;   because  if  she  did  not  recognise 
nim  as  her  son,  how  could  she  be  regarded,  as  she  is  admitted 
on  all  hands,  to  be,  as  "his  reputed  mother ?"     But  the 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  401 

objection  is  false :  she  has  solemnly  declared  him  to  be  her 
Bon  under  oath. 

15.  That  boxes  of  clothing  and  medals  of  Louis  XVI., 
were  left  with  the  child. 

There  is  not  a  particle  of  proof  of  this  ;  as  Mr.  Williams 
does  not  possess  a  solitary  relic  of  the  sort;  unless  he  will 
assert,  that  his  claim  is  strengthened  and  established  by  the 
fact,  that  he  possesses  a  faded  silk  dress,  once  said  to  have 
been  worn  by  Maria  Antoinette,  and  given  him  several  years 
since  by  a  friend  in  New  York. 

16.  That  an  unknown  Frenchman  once  visited  and  wept 
over  Mr.  Williams  in  his  youth,  and  called  him  pauvre 
gar<;on. 

There  is  no  proof  of  this  except  Mr.  Williams'  own  faint 
recollection.  Now  Mr.  Williams  himself  admits,  that  his 
mind,  during  his  youth,  till  his  fifteenth  year,  was  a  blank. 
Can  we,  therefore,  place  any  confidence  in  any  such  vague 
impressions  of  his  imbecile  years  ? 

IT.  That  Mr.  Williams'  board  and  tuition  were  mysteri- 
ously paid  for  him  at  Dr.  Ely's  school,  when  his  reputed 
father  could  not  do  it. 

This  was  the  charity  of  some  one  ;  hundreds  of  other  chil- 
dren have  received  their  education  in  the  same  way.  If  these 
funds  came  from  the  Bourbon  family  or  their  friends,  why  did 
they  afterward  desert  him,  and  leave  him  unfriended  during 
many  years  ?  This  they  would  not  have  done  had  they  once 
aided  him. 

18.  Mr.  Williams  remembers  a  conversation  that  took 
place  between  his  reputed  father  and  Vanderhuyden,  in  which 
the  fact  of  a  French  boy  having  been  committed  to  the  former 
in  1195  was  asserted. 

This  is  hearsay  testimony,  and  is,  therefore,  utterly  incom- 
petent, according  to  every  established  principle  of  evidence 
We  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  credibility  of  the  first 
witness,  whose  statements  are  thus  brought  into  question  in 
this  second-hand  way.  That  first  witness  referred  to  may 
34*  2  a 


402  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORJ 

have  bed  mistaken,  or  dishonest.     Mr.  Williams  himself  may 
either  have  forgotten  or  misunderstood  him. 

19.  That  Mr.  Williams  recognised  the  portraits  of  Simon, 
the  cobbler,  and  Madame  Elizabeth. 

But  his  recognition  did  not  amount  to  anything  more 
than  a  statement,  that  he  thought  that  he  had  seen  the  ori- 
ginal before  ;  while  at  the  same  time,  he  was  unable  to  recog- 
nise the  portraits  of  Louis  XVI.  and  his  queen.  Had  he 
known  the  former,  he  certainly  would  also  have  recognised 
the  latter. 

20.  That  Mr.  Williams  was  idiotic  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
or  fifteen  years  as  the  result  of  his  early  sufferings. 

This  is  unfortunate,  because  there  is  no  evidence  that  the 
real  Dauphin  had  lost  his  mind  at  any  period,  however  great 
his  bodily  sufferings  might  have  been.  On  the  contrary,  the 
testimony  of  Lasne  is  to  the  effect,  that  he  retained  his  intellect 
until  his  death.1  There  have  been  many  thousands  of  children 
idiotic  till  the  age  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  ;  each  one  of  whom 
would  have  an  equal  claim,  on  that  score,  with  Mr.  Williams 
to  the  throne  of  Napoleon  III. 

21.  That  the  Dauphin  was  reduced  to  the  same  condition 
of  idiocy  at  the  age  of  ten  years. 

We  refer  the  reader  again  to  the  testimony  of  Lasne  as 
contained  in  the  work  of  M.  A.  Beauchesne,2  as  proof  that 
no  one  about  the  person  of  the  Prince  ever  supposed  or 
asserted  that  he  had  become  idiotic,  at  any  period  during  his 
imprisonment. 

22.  That  Mr.  Williams  has,  since  the  recovery  of  his  rea- 
son, faint  dreamy  remembrances  of  the  past,  corresponding 
with  passages  of  the  Dauphin's  history. 

1  The  examining  physicians  testify  in  their  Process  Verbal  after  the 
post  mortem  examination,  that  the  brain  of  the  deceased  Dauphin  in 
the  Temple  was  sound:  " Le  cerveau  et  ces  dependences  etaient  dans  leur 
plus  par/aits  integrile."  This  proves  that  the  intellect  of  the  Dauphin 
never  had  been  aifected,  as  Mr.  Williams  represents  his  own  to  have 

been. 

2  Louis  XVII. ,  sa  vie,  son  agonie,  sa  mort,  etc.,  par  M.  A.  Beauchesne, 

Tom.  II.,  Paris. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  403 

In  so  important  a  case  as  this,  we  may  demand  some  more 
substantial  evidence  than  mere  "dreamy  remembrances." 
And  besides,  what  are  those  dreamy  remembrances  ?  Are 
they  true  or  false  ?  If  they  corroborate  history,  they  might 
be  valuable  as  proof.  If  they  did,  they  would  doubtless  have 
been  already  paraded  before  the  world.  The  fact  that  they 
are  not  thus  presented  to  public  scrutiny,  but  kept  concealed, 
is  conclusive,  that  they  do  not  harmonize  with  admitted  facts. 

23.  In  IT 94  a  decree  of  banishment  against  the  Dauphin 
was  proposed  in  the  French  Convention  ;  as  if  they  appre- 
hended that  the  real  Dauphin  was  not  dead. 

This  proposal  was  made  previous  to  the  reputed  death  of 
the  Dauphin ;  which  event  occurred  in  the  Temple  (accord- 
ing to  our  position)  on  the  8th  of  June,  1795  ;  and  therefore 
this  proposition  presents  no  difficulty.  Had  it  been  made 
after  his  reputed  death,  it  would  then  have  had  great  signifi- 
cance. It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Cambaceres,  afterward 
second  Consul  with  Bonaparte,  declared  that,  "in  banishing 
the  son  of  Capet  there  would  be  great  danger  to  the  Republic ; 
in  his  close  and  continued  confinement,  none."  The  Con- 
vention, after  referring  the  proposition  to  a  committee,  de- 
creed, that  the  Dauphin  should  not  be  banished,  but  should 
remain  in  his  confinement,  which  continued  until  his  death. 
The  very  fact  that  this  proposition  was  discussed  in  the 
National  Convention,  is  proof  that  no  doubts  were  entertained 
at  so  short  a  period  before  the  real  Dauphin's  death,  as  to 
whether  the  government  still  had  the  real  son  of  Louis  XVI. 
in  their  custody. 

24.  That  the  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  of  France  have 
written  to  Mr.  Williams,  making  inquiries  of  him  respecting 
his  history. 

If  they  believed  him  to  be  the  real  Dauphin,  they  would 
have  been  familiar  with  his  history  ;  and  if  there  were  any- 
thing in  their  letters  corroborative  of  his  pretensions,  it  would 
have  been  carefully  proclaimed.  The  contents  of  these  letters 
are  kept  as  silent  as  the  grave,  and  have  been  cautiously 
concealed. 


404  PTJBLiC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

25.  That  Liencourt  was  at  Oneida,  in  New  York,  in  1*795, 
under  suspicious  circumstances,  which  indicated  that  he  had 
something  to  do  with  the  escape  of  the  Dauphin. 

The  advocate  of  Mr.  Williams  has  asserted,  and  truly, 
that  the  only  person  who  could  possibly  have  brought  the 
Prince  to  America  was  Bellanger.  Now,  either  Bellanger 
brought  the  Prince  to  this  country,  or  he  did  not.  If  he  did, 
then  M.  Liencourt  could  have  had  nothing  to  do  with  it. 
If  he  did  not,  then  Mr.  Williams'  advocate  contradicts  him- 
self and  overturns  his  own  position  ;  for  he  declares,  that 
Bellanger  alone  could  have  brought  the  Dauphin  to  this 
country  The  learned  advocate  of  Mr.  Williams  may  take 
either  horn  of  the  dilemma. 

26.  That  Mr.  Williams  has  been,  for  twenty-seven  years, 
a  respectable  clergyman,  of  great  worth  and  integrity. 

This  is  granted  ;  but  it  is  admitted  that  Mr.  Williams  is  a 
person  of  great  simplicity  of  mind,  who  is  very  easily  imposed 
upon  ;  and  whose  intellect  still  bears  some  traces  of  his  early 
imbecility.  Such  persons  become  the  easy  victims  of  their 
own  and  of  other's  delusions.  There  are  some  twenty  thou- 
sand respectable  clergymen  in  the  United  States,  each  one 
of  whom  would  have  a  claim  as  strong  as  Mr.  Williams  on 
that  ground,  to  the  inheritance  of  the  Bourbons.  That  is 
to  say,  they  possess  no  claim  whatever. 

We  have  thus  carefully  followed  the  argument  of  the  advo- 
cate of  Mr.  Williams  through  all  its  intricate  mazes  ;  and  we 
arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  the  historical  fact  still  remains 
unshaken,  that  the  son  of  the  unfortunate  Louis  XVI.,  the 
Dauphin  of  France,  expired  in  the  Temple  in  1795,  an  inno- 
cent victim  to  the  diabolical  frenzy  and  fanaticism  of  the 
Revolutionists ;  and  that  Mr.  Williams  does  not  possess  the 
slightest  claim,  under  any  possible  future  contingency,  to  the 
throne  and  empire  of  Napoleon  III 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  405 

No.  XVIII. 

Events  of  the  War  of  1859  in  Italy. 

Louis  Napoleon,  after  having  spent  several  years  in  the 
tranquil  administration  of  the  affairs,  both  domestic  and 
foreign,  of  the  French  Empire,  came  forward  in  the  spring 
of  1859,  to  act  a  prominent  part  on  the  European  stage,  in 
a  new  sphere,  and  under  circumstances  of  absorbing  interest. 
He  appeared  as  the  bold  and  fearless  assailant  of  the  integrity 
of  the  ancient,  colossal  empire  of  the  House  of  Hapsburg, 
and  as  the  regenerator  and  deliverer  of  Italian  independence. 

Such  were  the  professed  and  ostensible  purposes  of  the 
war  of  1859;  but,  perhaps,  the  real  motives  for  the  inter- 
ference of  Louis  Napoleon  lay  deeper  than  the  surface,  and 
must  be  sought  in  the  profounder  recesses  of  his  ambitious 
and  far-reaching  aspirations.  What  then  were  the  efficient 
causes  of  the  momentous  events  which,  in  the  summer  of 
1859,  agitated  the  continent  of  Europe  by  one  of  the  fiercest 
conflicts  of  modern  times  ?  We  answer  that  Louis  Napoleon 
is  emulous  of  the  glory  of  that  great  warrior  whose  heir  and 
representative  he  has  not  unworthily  become.  He  would 
show  the  world  that  he  is  not  destitute  of  military  genius. 
He  doubtless  appreciated  the  truth,  of  which  even  Napoleon  I. 
felt  and  conceded  the  supreme  importance,  that  for  a  French 
ruler  to  retain  his  popularity  permanently  with  the  most  fickle 
and  vain-glorious  nation  on  the  earth,  he  must  constantly 
renew  and  repeat  his  achievements ;  — if  it  be  nothing  better 
or  greater  than  to  gild  the  swelling  dome  of  the  Invalides. 
He  was  also  compelled  to  find  a  vent  for  the  martial  ardor 
of  a  vast  standing  army  ;  else  that  ardor  might  turn  destruc- 
tively against  the  very  hand  which  called  it  into  existence, 
and  supported  it  for  other  and  ulterior  purposes. 

In  addition  to  these  considerations,  it  is  doubtless  true, 
that  Louis  Napoleon  wished  to  attain  universal  popularity 
by  expelling  the  Austrian  tyrants  from  Italy  —  from  that 


406  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

land  over  which  they  have  ruled  with  such  cruel  rigor  during 
the  last  forty  years.  And  in  this  aspect  of  the  subject,  the 
conduct  of  the  French  emperor  commends  itself  to  every 
liberal  and  intelligent  mind  ;  for  history  has  rarely  revealed 
more  infamous  instances  of  despotic  power  and  outrage,  than 
have  been  perpetrated  in  Lombardy  and  Venice,  since  Austria 
has  there  been  supreme.  Napoleon  also  aimed,  beyond  a 
doubt,  to  undo  the  arrangements,  and  to  reverse  the  decrees, 
of  the  Congress  of  Vienna  in  1815,  by  which  a  powerful 
coalition  against  Napoleon  I.  stripped  him  forever  of  all  his 
acquisitions,  reduced  France  to  smaller  limits  than  had 
marked  her  outline  during  the  previous  century,  and  elevated 
the  House  of  Hapsburg  at  the  expense  of  France  to  a  greater 
degree  of  power  than  it  had  ever  before  possessed.  Napo- 
leon III.  may  also  seek  to  place  his  cousin,  Prince  Napoleon, 
on  a  newly  erected  throne  in  Central  Italy.  He  may  also 
desire  to  reestablish  the  Napoleonic  dynasty  in  the  Neapolitan 
dominions ;  and  to  carry  out  all  the  details  of  the  injunc- 
tions laid  down  in  the  will  of  his  presumed  uncle,  the  first 
Napoleon. 

On  the  part  of  Sardinia,  the  ally  of  France  in  this  con- 
flict, the  motives  of  action  were  of  a  different  and  a  nobler 
character.  Victor  Emmanuel  is  a  prince  whose  enlightened 
mind  apprehended  the  real  position  and  wants  of  Italy. 
During  some  years  past  he  has  administered  his  kingdom  on 
principles  so  just  and  liberal  as  to  serve  as  a  reproof  to  the 
tyranny  of  the  Austrian  emperor  in  the  neighboring  province 
of  Lombardy,  and  to  produce  within  its  limits  very  great 
discontent.  Liberal  ideas  have  been  gradually  diffused  by 
the  example  and  influence  of  this  sovereign  throughout  the 
whole  of  Italy  ;  and  the  ancient  aspirations  of  the  Italian 
people  after  liberty  have  been  revived  again  by  these  means, 
with  more  than  their  pristine  ardor  and  intensity.  The 
Italian  hatred  toward  Austria  has  at  length  become  irrepres- 
sible, and  has  aided  in  producing  the  fierce  conflict  of  arms 
which  now  threatens  to  strip  Francis  Joseph  of  every  foot 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  40* 

of  his  Italian  territory.  But  after  all,  the  mainspring  of 
these  events  is  to  be  found  in  the  ambition,  the  talents,  the 
resources,  and  the  far-reaching  purposes  of  Napoleon  III. 

An  offensive  and  defensive  alliance  having  been  formed 
between  the  monarchs  of  France  and  Sardinia ;  and  the 
various  negotiations  which  had  passed  between  them  and  the 
Court  of  Vienna,  in  reference  to  the  matters  in  dispute, 
having  proved  fruitless ;  the  Austrian  ultimatum  having 
been  sent  to  Turin  on  the  19th  of  April,  1859,  and  the 
period  fixed  by  it,  during  which  an  accommodation  might 
have  been  arranged,  having  expired  on  April  26th  ;  and  the 
Austrian  monarch  being  assured  that  war  was  firmly  resolved 
upon  by  the  allies  at  all  hazards,  and  that  further  negotia- 
tions on  their  part  were  merely  designed  to  gain  time  for 
greater  preparations  ;  ordered  General  Gyulai  to  commence 
hostilities.  On  the  29th  of  that  month  he  crossed  the  Ticino, 
and  occupied  the  Lomellino — a  rich  Sardinian  province  lying 
between  the  Ticino,  the  Po,  and  the  Sesia — with  a  well- 
appointed  army  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men.  Hos- 
tilities being  thus  begun,  the  allies  hastened  their  movements. 
On  the  3d  of  May  Louis  Napoleon  issued  the  following  pro- 
clamation at  Paris  : 

"Austria,  by  ordering  her  army  into  the  territory  of  Sar 
dinia  —  our  ally  —  has  declared  war  against  us.     She  thus 
violates  our  treaties,  and  menaces  our  frontiers. 

"All  the  great  Powers  have  protested  against  this  act  of 
aggression. 

"  Piedmont,  having  accepted  the  conditions,  asks  what  can 
be  the  reason  of  this  sudden  invasion  ? 

"  'Tis  because  Austria  has  driven  matters  to  such  an  ex- 
tremity that  her  dominion  must  extend  to  the  Alps,  or  Italy 
must  be  free  to  the  shores  of  the  Adriatic — for  every  corner 
of  Italy  which  icmains  independent  endangers  the  power  of 
Austria. 

"  Hitherto  moderation  has  been  the  rule  of  my  conduct. 


408  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

But  now  energy  becomes  my  first  duty.  France  must  now 
to  arms,  and  resolutely  tell  Europe, '  I  wish  not  for  conquest, 
but  I  am  determined  fully  to  maintain  my  national  and  tra- 
ditional policy.  I  observe  treaties  on  condition  that  they 
are  not  violated  against  me.  I  respect  territories  and  the 
rights  of  neutral  powers  ;  but  I  boldly  aver  my  sympathies 
with  a  people  whose  history  is  mingled  with  my  own,  and 
who  now  groan  under  foreign  oppression.' 

"  France  has  shown  her  hatred  of  anarchy.  Her  will  was 
to  give  me  power  sufficiently  to  reduce  into  subjection  abet- 
tors of  disorder,  and  incorrigible  members  of  the  old  factions 
who  were  incessantly  concluding  compacts  with  our  enemies. 
But  she  has  not  for  that  purpose  abandoned  her  civilizing 
.haracter.  Her  natural  allies  have  always  been  those  who 
desire  the  amelioration  of  the  human  race,  and  when  she 
draws  the  sword,  'tis  not  to  govern,  but  to  free. 

"  The  object  then  of  this  war  is  to  restore  Italy  to  herself, 
lot  to  impose  upon  her  a  change  of  masters,  and  we  shall 
then  have  upon  our  frontiers  a  friendly  people  who  will  owe 
to  us  their  independence.  We  do  not  enter  Italy  to  foment 
disorder,  or  to  disturb  the  power  of  Our  Holy  Father,  whom 
we  replaced  upon  his  throne,  but  to  remove  from  him  this 
foreign  pressure  which  burdens  the  whole  peninsula,  and  to 
help  to  establish  order  there,  based  upon  lawful,  satisfied  in- 
terests. In  fine,  then,  we  enter  this  classic  ground,  rendered 
illustrious  by  so  many  victories,  to  seek  the  footsteps  of  our 
fathers.     God  grant  we  may  be  worthy  of  them. 

"  I  am  about  to  place  myself  at  the  head  of  the  army.  I 
leave  to  France  the  empress  and  my  son.  Seconded  by  the 
experience  and  enlightenment  of  the  last  emperor's  surviving 
brother,  she  will  understand  how  to  show  herself  worthy  the 
grandeur  of  her  mission. 

"  I  confide  them  to  the  valor  of  the  army  which  remains 
in  France  to  keep  watch  upor  our  frontiers,  and  guard  our 
homes. 

"  I  confide  them  to  the  patriotism  of  the  National  Guard. 


OF    NAPOLEON    III.  409 

I  confide  them,  in  a  word,  to  the  entire  people,  who  will 
encircle  them  with  that  affection  and  devotedness  of  which  I 
daily  receive  so  many  proofs. 

"  Courage  then,  and  union. 

"  Our  country  is  about  to  show  the  world  that  she  has  not 
degenerated. 

"  Providence  will  bless  our  efforts  ;  for  that  cause  is  holy 
in  the  eyes  of  God  which  rests  on  justice,  humanity,  love  of 
country,  and  independence." 

While  France  was  electrified  by  the  well-worded  procla- 
mation of  her  emperor,  the  Austrians  were  devastating  the 
province  of  Lomellino  with  every  possible  excess  of  cruelty 
and  brutality  ;  they  passed  the  Po  at  Cambio ;  they  burnt 
the  bridge  over  the  Scrivia  at  Placenza  ;  and  their  vanguard 
reached  Tronzano.  Other  detachments  of  the  invaders  passed 
the  Po  at  Vacarizza,  and  cannonaded  Valenza.  While  the 
Sardinian  army  under  General  Cialdini  were  manfully  resist- 
ing the  much  greater  masses  of  the  Austrians,  the  French 
troops  were  rapidly  approaching  the  scene  of  conflict.  The 
first  division  began  their  journey  on  the  19th  of  April  from 
Toulon.  Other  detachments  crossed  the  Alps  by  the  route 
of  Grenoble,  and  by  that  of  Chamberry.  By  the  14th  of 
May  sixty  thousand  troops  of  all  arms  had  left  the  French 
territories.  On  the  10th  of  May  Napoleon  himself  bid  adieu 
to  his  capital,  and  commenced  his  journey  toward  Marseilles, 
for  the  purpose  of  embarking  for  Genoa.  He  arrived  at  the 
latter  city  on  the  12th  of  May,  and  was  received  with  the 
most  ardent  enthusiasm.  That  ancient  and  once  opulent 
city  assumed  the  joyous  attire  of  a  general  holiday  ;  and  all 
classes  testified  their  exultation  at  the  arrival  of  the  potent 
magician  whose  powerful  arm,  it  was  supposed,  would  soon 
strike  off  the  galling  chains  of  Austrian  domination  from  the 
fair  and  bleeding  form  of  the  so-long  enslaved  Italy,  and  pro- 
claim her  freedom,  hei  unity,  anc  her  elevation  to  her  ancient 
place  among  European  nations. 
35 


410  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

Napoleon  was  met  at  Genoa  by  Count  Cavour,  the  Sar- 
dinian prime-minister,  by  the  Prince  de  Carignan,  M.  de 
Breur,  and  the  Count  Nigra.  The  emperor  was  accompanied 
by  the  Prince  Napoleon  and  Marshal  Vaillant,  his  aides-de' 
camp.  Previous  to  his  departure  from  France,  Napoleon 
had  appointed  the  Empress  Eugenie  Regent  of  the  empire  ; 
giving  her  authority  to  preside  over  the  deliberations  of  the 
Privy  Council  and  the  Council  of  Ministers  ;  but  not  per- 
mitting her  to  authorize  the  promulgation  of  any  senatus 
consultum  or  state-law,  except  such  as  were  already  under 
deliberation  before  the  great  legislative  bodies  of  the  empire. 

After  a  delay  of  several  days  at  Genoa,  Louis  Napoleon 
proceeded  with  his  suite  to  Alessandria,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  15th  of  May.  On  the  next  day  the  French  squadron 
under  Admiral  Graviere  anchored  before  Venice.  The  Aus- 
trians  had  at  this  time  pushed  their  advanced  post  as  far  as 
Casteggio.  On  the  17th  Napoleon  reached  the  headquarters 
of  the  allied  armies  at  Occimiano,  where  his  first  interview 
with  the  heroic  king,  Victor  Emanual,  look  place.  At  this 
moment,  the  Austrian  forces  were  concentrated  at  Garlasco  ; 
and  preparations  were  now  made  by  both  armies  for  active 
operations  on  a  grander  scale.  Immense  reinforcements  had 
been  secured  on  both  sides  ;  and  the  troops  which  composec 
each  of  the  hostile  armies  then  numbered  probably  a  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  men. 

The  first  regular  conflict  which  took  place  occurred  on  the 
20th  of  May  at  Moutebello — a  spot  already  rendered  famous 
by  the  heroism  of  the  French  during  the  triumphant  progress 
of  the  first  Napoleon.  At  eleven  o'clock  on  that  day,  fifteen 
thousand  Austrians,  commanded  by  General  Zobel,  ap- 
proached the  position  of  the  Piedmontese  troops  at  Monte- 
bello.  The  Austrians  marched  in  echelon;  their  right  wing 
moving  in  the  direction  of  Branduzzo,  their  left  toward 
Casona,  their  centre  on  Montebello.  As  soon  as  the  distant 
roll  of  musketry  announced  the  commencement  of  the  unequal 
contest   between   the   Austrian   and   the    Sardinian   forces, 


OP     NAPOLEON    III.  411 

General  Foiey  hastened  with  the  second  brigade  of  his 
division,  composed  of  eight  thousand  men,  for  the  purpose 
of  supporting  the  Piedmontese  cavalry ;  and  in  the  execu- 
tion of  this  purpose,  he  engaged  the  Austrians  who  were 
commanded  by  General  Benedik,  and  consisted  of  the  eighth 
corps.  The  battle  which  ensued  was  composed  more  particular- 
ly of  a  series  of  desperate  hand  to  hand  encounters  of  the  most 
sanguinary  character,  and  of  separate  assaults  and  charges. 
In  the  village  of  Montebello  itself,  the  conflict  became  the 
most  furious.  Each  house  was  the  scene  of  a  battle,  and 
street  by  street  was  won  by  the  French  only  after  prodigious 
exertions,  and  with  great  loss  of  life.  General  Beuret  was 
mortally  wounded,  at  the  side  of  General  Forey.  Not  until 
half-past  six  in  the  evening  were  the  Austrians  compelled  to 
evacuate  the  place.  In  this  engagement,  in  which  eight 
thousand  French,  supported  by  nine  hundred  Sardinians, 
resisted  and  eventually  overcame  sixteen  thousand  Austrians, 
unusual  gallantry  was  displayed  on  both  sides.  An  Austrian 
Colonel  and  two  hundred  Croats  were  made  prisoners.  The 
French  lost  about  seven  hundred  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 
The  total  loss  of  the  Austrians  was  fifteen  hundred.  The 
chief  hero  of  this  first  battle  between  the  belligerents  was 
General  Forey  ;  whose  skill  and  fortitude  shone  conspicuously 
during  the  engagement.  Immediately  after  this  struggle  of 
six  hours,  the  Austrians  evacuated  Casteggio. 

Thus  terminated  the  first  conflict  which  occurred  during 
this  war.  The  Austrian  bulletins  endeavored  to  mitigate  the 
extent  of  their  defeat  by  claiming  that  the  engagement  had 
oeen  indecisive  in  its  results ;  but  the  disproportion  of  dead 
and  wounded  of  the  two  armies,  and  the  retreat  of  the  Aus- 
trians from  the  field,  leaving  it  in  the  possession  of  the  Allies, 
unanswerably  demonstrated  that  the  real  advantage  had  been 
greatly  in  favor  of  the  latter.  On  the  21st  of  May,  the 
Piedmontese  commanded  by  General  Cialdini  forced  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Sesia  at  Vereelli,  and  routed  the  Austrians  who 
opposed  them.     At  the  same  time  the  blockade  of  Venice 


412  PUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

was  established.  On  the  23d  Garibaldi  passed  the  Ticino 
at  Sesto-Calende,  defeated  a  detachment  of  the  Austrians, 
and  captured  Varese.  On  the  26th  Garibaldi  achieved 
another  conquest  over  the  Austrians  at  Malmate  ;  the  next 
day  he  marched  upon  Como,  routed  the  Austrians  again  at 
San  Fermo,  and  at  length  occupied  both  Camerlata  and 
Lecco. 

These  various  minor  movements  were  preparing  the  way 
for  the  second  grand  contest  between  the  main  armies  of  the 
belligerents,  which  took  place  at  Palestro  on  the  31st  of 
May.  The  following  description  of  this  fierce  conflict,  written 
by  one  who  soon  afterward  surveyed  the  sanguinary  scene, 
will  furnish  the  reader  with  the  most  accurate  and  desirable 
details  respecting  it. 

"  I  have  already  informed  you  that  as  soon  as  the  Austrians 
had  evacuated  Yercelli  King  Yictor  Emmanuel  moved  up, 
with  the  bulk  of  the  Piedmontese  forces,  from  Occimiauo  and 
the  other  positions  they  held  south  of  the  Po.  On  Monday 
the  bulk  of  the  Piedmontese  army,  about  30,000  men,  were 
concentrated  around  the  town.  At  daybreak  the  King  rode 
out  of  the  town,  with  his  staff,  to  attack  the  advanced  guard 
of  the  Austrians.  The  advanced  guard  of  the  right  wing  had 
taken  up  strong  positions  at  Palestro,  Yinzaglio,  and  Casa- 
lino.  Strong  detachments  were  also  posted  at  Confienza. 
The  object  of  the  attack  of  the  Piedmontese  on  Monday 
seems  to  have  been  to  drive  the  Austrians  out  of  those  posi- 
tions which  were  held  (I  am  informed)  by  the  corps  d'armee 
of  General  Zobel.  The  King  had  formed  his  troops  in  three 
corps,  the  brigade  of  the  guards  and  the  Aosta  brigade 
formed  the  main  column,  under  the  orders  of  the  King  and 
General  Cialdini,  which  proceeded  along  \he  road  to  Pales- 
tro. General  Fanti  attacked  Vinzaglio,  and  General  Durando 
marched  by  way  of  Casalino,  a  circuitous  route,  so  as  to  out- 
flank the  enemy,  and  was  ordered  to  join  the  King  at  Pales- 
tro after  having  carried  the  Austrian  lines.  The  Piedmon- 
tese brigades  were  supplied  with  artillery,  but  their  practice 


OP    NAPOLEON    III.  413 

is  said  to  be  very  bad,  although  the  coolness  of  the  men 
under  fire  is  said  to  be  admirable.  The  plan  was  punctually 
carried  out.  Palestro,  Vinzaglio,  and  Casalino  were  simul- 
taneously attacked,  and  after  some  severe  fighting  the  Aus- 
trians  evacuated  both  Palestro  and  Casalino,  but  still  held 
out  at  Yinzaglio,  where  the  contest  raged  very  severely.  At 
Palestro  and  Casalino,  after  a  sharp  fire  of  musketry  and 
artillery,  the  Piedmontese  dashed  forward  and  the  Austrians 
slowly  retreated.  At  Vinzaglio,  on  the  contrary,  every 
house  was  a  fortress,  and  hand-to-hand  encounters  took 
place,  not  only  in  the  narrow  streets,  but  every  inch  of  ground 
inside  the  houses  was  disputed  step  by  step.  At  length  re- 
inforcements were  sent  to  General  Fanti.  The  King  came 
rushing  up  from  Palestro,  at  the  head  of  the  Guards,  while 
Durando,  who  had  just  come  down  from  Casalino,  attacked 
the  Austrian  position  in  the  rear,  and  its  occupants  were 
driven  out  literally  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  They  lost  a 
few  prisoners,  but  succeeded  in  carrying  off  their  guns.  The 
•arnage  on  both  sides  is  represented  as  something  fearful." 

The  immediate  result  of  this  battle  was  the  evacuation  of 
Sardinia  by  the  Austrians.  Garibaldi  attacked  them  at 
Laveno,  but  the  disproportion  of  numbers  againt  him  was  so 
great  that  he  was  defeated.  On  the  2d  of  June  the  advance 
of  the  Allied  armies,  commanded  by  General  M'Mahou, 
entered  Lomburdy  by  the  bridge  of  Turbigo.  On  the  3d  of 
June  Garibaldi  attacked  the  Austrians  in  Varese,  expelled 
them,  and  himself  took  possession  of  it.  On  the  4th  and  5th 
of  June,  the  great  battle  of  Magenta  was  fought;  which  was 
more  thrilling  in  its  incidents,  and  more  decisive  in  its  re- 
sults, than  any  which  had  yet  occurred  during  the  progress 
of  the  campaign. 

On  the  14th  of  June,  the  army  of  the  Allies  was  ordered 
to  cross  the  Ticino  by  bridges  at  Buffalora  and  Turbigo. 
The  Austrians  were  posted  on  the  opposite  side  in  immense 
masses,  to  oppose  their  passage.  A  conflict  ensued  of  three 
hours  duration  ;  after  which  the  Allies  effected  their  transit. 
35* 


414  rUBLIC    AND    PRIVATE    HISTORY 

General  M'Mahon  immediately  advanced  with  his  division  to 
Magenta,  which  is  the  first  post-town  in  Lombardy  on  the 
road  toward  Milan.  This  is  a  very  ancient  town,  having 
been  founded  by  the  Emperor  Maximilian.  It  contains  six 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  probable  that  a  hundred  thousand 
men  were  engaged  on  both  sides,  in  this  memorable  conflict, 
The  object  of  the  Austrians,  commanded  by  Marshal  Gyulai 
and  assisted  by  Baron  Hess,  was  to  obstruct  and  prevent  the 
advance  of  the  Allies  toward  Milan.  But  the  ardor  of  the 
French  generals  and  their  troops  to  accomplish  that  purpose 
was  not  to  be  overcome,  and  the  resistance  of  the  Austrians 
at  Turbigo  and  Buffalora  produced  only  a  temporary  delay. 
During  the  conflict  on  the  Bridge  of  Turbigo,  the  condition 
of  the  French  became  at  one  time  very  critical ;  and  it  was 
when  Austrian  desperation  had  almost  won  the  victory,  that 
General  M'Mahon,  by  making  a  powerful  and  successful 
diversion,  in  an  attack  on  the  Austrians  then  posted  at  the 
neighboring  village  of  Magenta,  succeeded  in  breaking  the 
power  of  their  masses,  and  at  length  gained  a  decisive  tri- 
umph. In  consequence  of  this  skilful  and  opportune  move- 
ment, the  chief  glory  of  the  victory  was  due  to  that  general ; 
and  his  merits  were  acknowledged  and  rewarded  by  Napoleon 
by  the  gift  of  a  marshal's  baton  on  the  field  of  battle.  The 
Allies  lost  three  thousand  in  killed  and  wounded  ;  the  loss 
of  the  Austrians  was  five  thousand  prisoners,  and  about  ten 
thousand  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  immediate  conse- 
quences of  this  victory  were  the  evacuation  of  Milan  by  the 
Austrian  authorities  and  garrison  ;  the  proclamation  of  Vic- 
tor Emmanuel  as  king ;  and  the  annexation  of  Lombardy  to 
Sardinia.  On  the  7th  of  June  the  allied  sovereigns  entered 
Milan  in  triumph  ;  and  thus  was  attained,  during  the  short 
period  of  six  weeks  from  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  one 
of  the  main  purposes  of  the  war.  The  victory  of  Magenta 
was  rendered  still  more  complete  in  its  results,  by  the  advan- 
tage subsequently  gained  over  the  Austrians  by  Baraguay 


OP    NAPC  LEON    III.  415 

d'Hilliers  at  Melegnano  on  the  9th  of  June ;  after  which  the 
Austrians  evacuated  Levano  on  the  Lake  Maggiore. 

The  24th  of  June,  was  rendered  memorable  by  the  occur- 
rence of  the  most  desperate  engagement  of  the  campaign, 
which  took  place  at  Solferino.  This  was  the  last  stand 
against  the  Allies  which  the  Austrian  generals  proposed  to 
make  before  crossing  the  Mincio  ;  and  Francis  Joseph  had 
collected  here  the  flower  and  chivalry  of  his  army,  to  the 
number  of  at  least  two  hundred  thousand  men.  He  selected 
his  position  with  great  skill,  under  the  direction  of  General 
Hess ;  and  commanded  in  person.  He  seemed  disposed  to 
render  this  the  decisive  battle  of  the  war ;  and  Louis  Napo- 
leon promptly  accepted  the  challenge.  The  dawning  day  be- 
held the  lines  of  the  Austrian  army  drawn  out  in  battle 
array  over  an  area  of  eight  miles  in  length.  The  conflict  be- 
gan at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  Austrians  were 
posted  in  the  form  of  a  crescent  on  a  range  of  hills  which  ex- 
tend a  mile  in  length,  and  then  break  off  to  the  left  into  a  wide 
expanse  of  smaller  eminences,  which  gradually  decline  into  the 
plain.  The  battle  commenced  with  an  attack  of  artillery  by 
the  French  upon  the  Austrians  stationed  nearest  to  Castig- 
lione.  The  latter  were  soon  driven  from  their  position,  and 
were  followed  by  the  Allies  into  the  villages  in  the  plain  below. 
The  first  and  most  important  of  these  was  Solferino  :  there 
the  contest  was  most  fierce  and  deadly.  The  ground  was 
furiously  contested  inch  by  inch,  and  soon  became  covered 
with  the  dying  and  the  dead.  Thrice  was  the  village  lost  by 
the  Austrians,  and  thrice  did  their  desperate  resolution  re- 
gain possession  of  it.  At  length  overwhelmed  by  the  uncon- 
querable valor  and  enthusiasm  of  the  French,  they  fell  back 
slowly  toward  the  village  of  Volta,  where  they  had  planted 
their  most  formidable  batteries.  Here  the  contest  was  re- 
newed with  increased  energy.  Meanwhile  the  battle  con- 
tinued to  rage  furiously  over  the  whole  line  which  connected 
the  towns  of  Castiglione,  Solferino,  and  Volta.  The  Pied- 
montese  fought  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  Allied  army,  and 


416  PUBLIC    AND    1RTVATE    HISTORY 

were  commanded  by  Victor  Emmanuel  in  person.    Both  sides 
here  brought  their  artillery  into  play  ;  and  as  their  powerful 
batteries  were  but  half  a  mile  distant  from  each  other,  the 
most  terrible  execution  was  made.     During  the  progress  of 
the  day,  the  uncertain  tide  of  battle  often  wavered.     Twice 
were  the  French  driven  back  by  the  desperate  onslaught  of 
their  foes  ;  but  this  retrograde  movement  was  soon  reversed. 
Yet  they  suffered  severely  ;  and  the  first  regiment  of  Zouaves 
lost  an  immense  number  of  killed,  being  overwhelmed  at  one 
point   by  superior  numbers.     At  length,  after  a  desperate 
combat  of  sixteen  hours,  the  whole  Austrian  line  began  slowly 
to  recede,  as  the  shades  of  night  were  settling  down  over  the 
ensanguined  scene.     At  nine  o'clock  the  work  of  death  ter- 
minated, and  the  Austrians  were  permitted  leisurely  to  cross 
the  Mincio  in  their  rear.     The  Allies  had  indeed  won  the 
victory ;  but  with  such  heavy  losses  as  to  render  a  few  more 
such  triumphs  equivalent  to  a  defeat.     They  retained  posses- 
sion of  the  battle-field,  but  were  so  much  weakened  as  to  be 
unable  to  pursue  the  retiring  foe.     This  conflict  presented  a 
memorable  illustration  of  the  stern  resistance  which  stubborn 
and  mechanical  discipline  can  make  against  the  enterprising 
efforts  of  an  intelligent  and  enthusiastic  enemy.     The  French 
took  a  large  number  of  cannon,  standards  and  prisoners.    The 
loss  on  both  sides  was  very  severe.     General  Niel  and  his 
corps  d'armee  performed  the  most  distinguished  exploits  ou 
that  day,  in  contributing  more  effectually  than  any  other  to 
the  attainment  of  the  general  result. 

Immediately  after  this  memorable  conflict,  in  which  the 
Allies  lost  17,000  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  Aus- 
trians 20,000,  a  proposition  was  made  for  an  armistice  by 
Napoleon,  and  accepted  by  his  opponent.  It  was  then  agreed 
that  the  horrors  of  war  should  be  suspended  till  the  15th  of 
the  ensuing  August.  The  French  Emperor  had  already  re- 
solved, however,  to  carry  still  further  his  pacific  intentions ; 
and  while  the  Austrians  were  collecting  their  ^broken  masses 


OP    NAPOL  EON    III.  417 

within  the  celebrated  quadrangular  fortresses  of  Mantua, 
Peschiera,  Legnano,  and  Verona,  for  the  purpose  of  resist- 
ing to  the  death  the  further  advance  of  the  enemy,  Napo- 
leon dispatched  a  messenger  to  Francis  Joseph,  desiring  an 
interview,  in  order  to  settle  the  terms  of  a  general  and  per- 
manent peace. 

After  some  delay  the  Austrian  monarch  acceded  to  the 
request;  and  the  two  Emperors  met  on  the  11th  of  July  at 
Yillafranca,  and  agreed  upon  an  arrangement,  the  terms  of 
which  were  as  follows :  Austria  ceded  Lombardy  to  France, 
who  transferred  it  to  the  King  of  Sardinia ;  the  State  and  city 
of  Yenice  remained  in  the  possession  of  Austria,  though  they 
were  to  become  members  of  the  Italian  Confederation  ;  that 
confederation  was  to  be  constructed  under  the  honorary  Presi- 
dency of  the  Pope  ;  the  fugitive  princes  of  Tuscany  and 
Modena  were  to  resume  the  sovereignty  of  those  States; 
and  an  universal  amnesty  was  to  be  proclaimed. 

Thus  were  the  thrilling  scenes  of  this  sanguinary  conflict 
suddenly  brought  to  a  peaceful  termination.  The  alleged 
motive  which  actuated  Napoleon  in  this  unexpected  turn  of 
his  policy,  was  the  fact,  that  the  struggle  was  about  to  assume 
such  immense  proportions,  that  the  secondary  interest  which 
France  had  in  its  issue,  did  not  justify  the  expense  of  blood 
and  treasure  which  it  would  necessarily  involve  ;  while  at  the 
same  time  it  was  asserted,  that  the  chief  aim  of  the  war  had 
been  successfully  attained,  and  the  glory  of  the  French  arms 
had  been  triumphantly  vindicated. 

Immediately  after  this  event  Napoleon  quitted  the  seat  of 
war,  and  arrived  at  Turin  on  the  14th  of  July.  He  embarked 
at  Genoa,  and  reached  the  welcome  portals  of  St.  Cloud  ou 
Sunday  morning,  the  17th  of  that  month.  The  Empress  and 
Imperial  prince,  with  several  ladies  and  officers  of  the  house- 
hold, were  waiting  to  receive  him;  and  few  moments  could 
have  been  happier  in  the  whole  life  of  the  returning  conqueror, 
than  that  in  which  he  pressed  his  wife  and  child  to  his  bosom. 

2b 


418  HISTORY    OF    NAPOLEON    III. 

? 

On  the  same  day  the  great  Ministers  of  state  waited  on  him  ; 
and  several  weeks  afterward  he  re-entered  his  capital,  after 
having  performed  the  leading  part  in  one  of  the  most  singu- 
lar, brilliant,  and  effective  campaigns  which  modern  history 
records ;  which  indeed  bears  no  faint  resemblance  to  those 
extraordinary  military  successes,  and  those  expeditious  com- 
binations of  triumph,  which  signalized  the  career  of  the  first 
Napoleon. 


35* 


LI8T    OF    BOOKS    PUBLISHED    BY    G.    G.    EVANI. 

THE    PRINCE 

OF   THE 

HOUSE   OF   DAVID; 

OR, 

THREE  YEARS  IN  THE  HOLY  CITY. 

BEING 

A  SERIES  OF  THE  LETTERS  OF  JVDINA,  A  JEWESS  OF  ALEXANDRIA,  SUPPOSED 

TO    BE    SOJOURNING    IN    JERUSALEM    IN    THE   DAYS    OF    HEROD, 

ADDRESSED  TO  HER  FATHER,  A  WEALTHY  JEW  IN  EGYPT, 

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111 


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